Utilization of Bioinformatics to Identify Novel Regions of the Toxoplasma gondii Genome with Improved Diagnostic Capability
Advisor Information
Paul Davis
Location
MBSC Dodge Room 302B - U
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
4-3-2022 10:45 AM
End Date
4-3-2022 12:00 PM
Abstract
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has become an effective method of quickly and noninvasively diagnosing several diseases, including COVID-19. In order to develop a viable PCR diagnostic, a DNA sequence that is highly repetitive and specific to a pathogen must be known. A majority of one’s genome is repetitive elements; however, DNA sequencing technology has previously had notoriously low accuracy in properly identifying these regions. Now, long-read sequencing is improving the quality of draft genomes, making new regions more available for discovery. We have developed a bioinformatics protocol that identifies highly repeated DNA sequences from an organisms’ genome. Using this method, we identified three novel regions of the Toxoplasma gondii genome which have shown greater diagnostic efficacy than the currently used REP529 region.
Scheduling Link
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Utilization of Bioinformatics to Identify Novel Regions of the Toxoplasma gondii Genome with Improved Diagnostic Capability
MBSC Dodge Room 302B - U
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has become an effective method of quickly and noninvasively diagnosing several diseases, including COVID-19. In order to develop a viable PCR diagnostic, a DNA sequence that is highly repetitive and specific to a pathogen must be known. A majority of one’s genome is repetitive elements; however, DNA sequencing technology has previously had notoriously low accuracy in properly identifying these regions. Now, long-read sequencing is improving the quality of draft genomes, making new regions more available for discovery. We have developed a bioinformatics protocol that identifies highly repeated DNA sequences from an organisms’ genome. Using this method, we identified three novel regions of the Toxoplasma gondii genome which have shown greater diagnostic efficacy than the currently used REP529 region.