New sequencing may improve cancer research

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Canadian scientists say they've developed a cheaper, faster way to compile draft genome sequences that could improve cancer research.

University of British Columbia Associate Professor Steve Jones and colleagues at Simon Fraser University say they have combined cutting edge hardware with novel software to compile genome sequences at a fraction of the cost of current methods.

Using their new approach, the research team compiled the first complete genome sequence of a fungus (Grosmannia clavigera) that is key to the mountain pine beetle infestation process.

"The infestation has affected 10 to 14 million hectares of pine forests in British Columbia. We can't fight an enemy if we don't know what it's made of. The complete genome of the fungus brings us one step closer to winning the battle."

But Jones said the accomplishment has much wider research implications.

"What we learned from assembling the draft sequence of a fungus, we can now apply to sequencing human genomes," Jones said. "We're now using this novel approach to decode cancer tumors."

The study appears in the journal Genome Biology.