Next generation sequencing leads lecture series

The next step in next generation sequencing is the topic of the first lecture in a series presented by the Institute of Fundamental Sciences.

Dr Lesley Collins, a senior research fellow in Statistics, will give the free public lecture There’s always another “next” in Next Generation Sequencing on Friday at 1pm, in SSLB4 on the Manawatu Campus.

Dr Collins says sequencing DNA from genes has always provided molecular researchers with clues as to how an organism functions, and how these functions may have changed over time.

“The last five years has seen a revolution in the scale and efficiency of this sequencing so that now a complete human genome (all of its DNA) can be sequenced in days as opposed to years using ‘Next Generation Sequencing’,” she says.

“We can now compare species and populations at a scale only dreamed about a decade ago. All of this sequencing has impacted on molecular studies in areas such as medicine and evolution, and has also changed bioinformatics as an analysis field. With all this sequencing and all of these genes and genomes, we could then ask the question – what are we going to do with it all? Then there is the big question – what’s next?”

Dr Collins’ lecture is the first in a series of three.

Lecture series details:
Friday September 7: Dr Lesley Collins, There’s always another “next” in Next Generation Sequencing. Venue: SSLB4

Thursday September 13: Associate Professor Bruce van Brunt. Functional Equations, Star Wars and Cell Growth. Venue: Aston 1

Thursday, September 20: Associate Professor Bill Williams. Biological Physics: Is this the Real Life, is this Just Fantasy. Venue: Aston 1