A researcher had successfully conducted the first genome sequencing at sea.
In the past the task of performing genome sequencing on a variety of marine species was impossible because the material was too fragile to survive being shipped to shore. This new lab-at-sea could change everything, a University of Florida news release reported.
"It is possible now to get the genomic blueprint of all animals in the sea," Leonid Moroz, a professor of neuroscience, genetics, chemistry and biology at UF's Whitney Laboratory for Marine Biosciences, McKnight Brain Institute and College of Medicine, said in the news release. "And this is not science fiction.
"The real success of these two proof-of-concept trips is that we now know we can do high-throughput sequencing at any location on Earth," Moroz said. "And this is the perfect example of collaboration and synergy between public and private institutions such as Ocean Research Corp., International SeaKeeper Society, Florida Biodiversity Institute and Ocean Expedition (OceanX) programs."
The research is crucial because the world loses an entire species every six hours.
"We need to deploy a sequencing fleet," Moroz said. "There are potentially unique solutions in nature for medicine, but they are disappearing."
The researcher studied marine pelagic organisms such as comb jellies; he chose these organism because of their impressive ability to regenerate. Sea slugs could also provide insight into "memory and neural evolution," the news release reported.
The team sequenced the genomes of 22 organisms in two weeks aborad the floating lab, dubbed the Copasetic.
The samples were sequenced with the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine System which was linked up to UF's supercomputer HiPerGator.
"If you cannot bring the creatures to the lab, why not bring the lab to the sea?" Moroz said. "Together with Ocean Research Corp., Florida Biodiversity Institute and Life Technologies, we turned a yacht into a research vessel in two weeks. Unique Steven's design of his vessel paved the path to success."
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