Published: April 16, 2009
Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory Selects Geospiza Analysis Software To Unlock Genetic Secrets in Sea Urchin Embryos
(BUSINESS WIRE)
Geospiza, Inc., the market-leading developer of genetic analysis
software, is helping the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory
analyze next-generation sequence data to understand the effect of
environmental contaminants on sea urchin embryos in a study that also
has implications for human health.
James A. Coffman, Ph.D., Senior Investigator at the Mount Desert Island
Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) in Salisbury Cove, Maine, is directing two
National Institutes of Health (NIH) projects, one studying genetic
control of cell growth in the sea urchin embryo and one studying how
environmental exposures can cause abnormal embryo development.
"Sea urchin embryos use a lot of the same sort of regulatory systems
used in mammalian developmentâincluding human developmentâat a very
fundamental level," said Coffman, who was part of the 2006 breakthrough
decoding of the sea urchin's genome sequence. "They're much more closely
related to mammals than other invertebrate model systems you're more
familiar with, such as fruit flies and nematodes."
"What we're finding with next-generation sequencing is that it's even a
more powerful method of doing gene-expression analysis," Coffman said.
"The technical challenge we have now is completely different than it was
five years ago. We no longer have a problem getting lots of information.
Now the issue is, how do you analyze that information?"
"Next-generation technologies present a significant challenge with the
volume and refinement of data required for analysis," explained Geospiza
CSO Todd Smith. "Primary data from the instrument is unusable without
further manipulations such as alignment of the data to reference
sequences followed by extensive post processing of the alignments to
view and compare information between experiments. GeneSifter efficiently
manages this intermediate step by automating these processes. We
appreciate the opportunity to support Dr. Coffman and his team to
explore the statistical significance of the data to discover factors of
biological relevance."
"Geospiza was the natural choice for data analysis software, with over a
decade of experience working with sequencing technology," adds Tony
Robertson, Ph.D., a senior research associate in Coffman's lab,
"Geospiza can render data into a form so we can ask biological questions
of it. They're a great company to do business with - really easy and
really quick."
About Geospiza
Designed by biologists, Geospiza's products are configured to reflect
best practices and to work out-of-the-box, so that researchers can focus
on their science. Geospiza's software systems have established an
international reputation for usability and performance since 1997. You
can find more information on Geospiza and its products at www.geospiza.com.
Geospiza, Inc.
VP Marketing
Laura Lucas, 206-633-4403 x119
laural@geospiza.com
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