Accelerating bio-discovery: a collection genomics pipeline for high-throughput target enrichment

Genomic reference datasets are the modern go-to tool for identifying species for both conversation and biosecurity. They offer accuracy, repeatability, and unlike morphological analysis, they offer a universal digital format. CSIRO’s high-throughput genomic platform has massively reduced the cost of generating reference genomic datasets from biodiversity specimens, and works across the tree of life, including fungi, plants, invertebrates and vertebrates.. But this “genome-skimming” approach is non-targeted, meaning that in addition to generating useful DNA sequences, it also generates DNA sequences from uninformative regions of the genome.

This project seeks to further increase the efficiency of high-throughput genomics by developing a miniaturised target enrichment platform that preferentially provides DNA sequence from selected informative parts of the genome. This will provide non-destructive, faster, cheaper sequencing of DNA regions that are most useful for biodiscovery, conservation and biosecurity.

Lead: Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn
Collaborators: National Collections and Marine Infrastructure, Data61, University of Melbourne, Australian National University