Last year, to commemorate Canada’s 150th birthday – and to lay a foundation for Canadian research excellence for the next 150 years – a group of scientists in our country embarked upon the Canada 150 Sequencing Initiative (CanSeq150).
Motivated by our nation’s curiosity about the animal that most shaped our history, we sequenced the genome – the genetic instruction book – of the Canadian beaver (Castor canadensis) in time for Canada’s sesquicentennial. We’ve also begun sequencing 34 other species, including the Canada jay (Perisoreus canadensis) and the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis).
Our goal is to sequence the genomes of 150 organisms important to Canada – and Canadians.
We are accepting proposals from researchers who present the best cases for the historical or immediate importance to Canada of each proposed organism. As new species are chosen, Canada’s Genomics Enterprise (CGEn) will announce additional species selected to undergo whole genome sequencing on its website.
Continue reading at University of Toronto.
Image via University of Toronto.