With the goal of making platforms for genomics and genetics research more accessible to the researchers of the Visayas, the Philippine Genome Center Visayas received the first of several sequencers for the facility.
The Applied Biosystems SeqStudio Genetic Analyzer is capable of carrying out Sanger sequencing and fragment analysis. The said equipment will be used for the Center’s collaborative research undertakings related to gene discovery, population genetics, and species identification among other things. Researchers at PGC Visayas are currently developing protocols for the characterization of the spike protein sequence of SARS-CoV-2 using the said platform.
With funding from the Department of Budget and Management, PGC Visayas is also expecting the arrival of a series of Next Generation Sequencers within the fourth quarter of this year that will allow the facility to conduct whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 for the local detection and biosurveillance of COVID-19 variants within the region.
The PGC Visayas was established through the support of the DOST – Philippine Council For Health Research And Development and University of the Philippines System. The facility is currently housed at the Regional Research Center, of the University of the Philippines Visayas.
(This article was first published in the UPV Website on October 14, 2021)