Get To Know Our PacBio Workshop Presenters!

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We’re days away from kicking off our ANZ PacBio Bioinformatics workshop webinars, presenting in tandem with Millennium Science and thanks to our AGRF-UQ PacBio Service. If you haven’t registered, get clicking: here’s the link!

In the meantime, we’d like to introduce you to our speakers and presenters who’ll be up on your screens across the two days….

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Dr Carolyn Hogg

Population Biologist, University of Sydney 

­­Bio: I have been working on the conservation of threatened species for over twenty-five years both in Australia and overseas. I am currently the Senior Research Manager for the Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group in the Faculty of Science. I have been working with the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program for the past ten years; in addition to other species such as orange-bellied parrots, koalas, bilbies and woylies. Working closely with both my academic and conservation management partners my vision is to create a conservation legacy for Australia by changing the way we integrate science, management and policy; to proactively promote species’ resilience in the face of a changing world. We are achieving this by developing better tools and technologies to integrate molecular genetics into real-time conservation management decisions.  

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Assistant Professor Heng Li

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School

Bio: Heng Li studies advanced computational algorithms to solve practical biological problems, currently with a focus on sequence alignment, variant calling, de novo assembly, data storage, and information query. He developed and maintains several widely used software packages, such as BWA, samtools, minimap2, and seqtk, for analyzing high-throughput sequencing data. He has also collaborated with multiple research groups and published work on the analysis of single-cell sequence data, chromosome conformation, cancer genomics, population genetics and species evolution.

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Dr Khi Pin Chua

Scientist, Field Applications Support, PacBio Asia Pacific

Bio: Khi Pin completed his post-graduate degree in computational study of proteins. In his post-doctoral research, he integrated genomics and transcriptomics data to elucidate insights into the evolution and resistance mechanism of lung cancer. Khi Pin is currently working for PacBio to support customers utilizing the cutting-edge PacBio long-reads sequencing.

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Dr Paul Gooding

Senior Field Application Scientist, Millennium Science.

Bio: Paul moved to Adelaide in 1998 having completed a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology at the John Innes Centre in the UK. He completed a post-doctoral position at CSIRO-Plant Industry where he focussed on post-harvest quality of fruits and vegetables, then moved to the University of Adelaide to run their cereal genetic transformation facility. He then worked for many years as Senior Scientist with the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF), running a suite of Next-Gen Sequencing machines as well as coordinating genotyping and diversity profiling projects. He joined Millennium Science in 2019 as FAS for genomics portfolios in Australia and New Zealand. 

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Dr Gareth Price

Service Manager, Galaxy Australia + Australian BioCommons

Bio: Dr Gareth Price is Head of Computational Biology at the QCIF Facility for Advanced Bioinformatics. Gareth has 20 years’ experience as a Bioinformatician and Genomics Scientist. His expertise spans experimental design, assay performance, data QC, data analysis and data interpretation, involving a variety of model organisms from microorganisms, fruit flies, mice to humans as well as non-model organisms with limited genome information. In his role Gareth manages the diverse spectrum of researcher lead questions involving life science data, provides training in genomic data analysis, as well as leading Galaxy Australia (https://usegalaxy.org.au) as Service Manager.  

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Dr David Hawkes

Brisbane Node Manager, Platform Manager – SNP + Genotyping, AGRF

Bio: David Hawkes is the Brisbane Site manager at AGRF, where he manages services in Sanger sequencing, MassARRAY genotyping and PacBio long read sequencing. He completed his PhD at the University of Queensland where he worked towards harnessing cytochrome P450’s for environmental remediation, and later rounded out his training with a Masters in Biostatistics. Pursuing an interest in genomics, David worked with Keith Mitchelson, on a novel sequencing by assisted mutagenesis (SAM) technique for Sanger sequencing, before taking a position with AGRF in the MassARRAY genotyping team. Working as genotyping manager and later Brisbane Site manager, David has 14 years of experience working within genomics services. David has previously managed AGRF’s HiSeq4000 service and now manages PacBio services on the Sequel II platform. 

Children’s Cancer Institute Partners with AGRF to Expand the Zero Childhood Cancer Program

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Exciting news this week for AGRF, as we sign an agreement with Children’s Cancer Institute to deliver rapid, high-quality, multi-omics sequencing data to support the Zero Childhood Cancer Program and its partner network in the growing number of sequencing-centric research projects. 

To further evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive, multi-faceted molecular approach to paediatric precision medicine, the Zero Childhood Cancer Program will be expanded to include all children and young adults diagnosed with cancer in Australia over the next few years, irrespective of cancer type, risk and stage. Their initial aim is to undertake whole genome sequencing, whole transcriptome sequencing and array-based methylation profiling of more than 10,000 children with cancer. In addition, Children’s Cancer Institute will be launching new population-scale sub studies to further investigate paediatric cancer risk. Over the next five years, patient samples will undergo comprehensive genomic profiling to identify molecular signatures and actionable targets to improve their health outcomes.

Vanessa Tyrrell, Program Leader of ZERO at Children’s Cancer Institute said, “Today, we have over 500 children and young people enrolled on ZERO. As we prepare to expand ZERO to one day give every child diagnosed with cancer the very best chance of survival, we’re excited to partner with AGRF to make this happen. Together, we will strive for a future where all children have the best chance of living their best lives.”

And AGRF’s CEO, Dr Kirby Siemering, said, “At AGRF, we are extremely proud to contribute our technology platforms and expertise in genomics to this incredible project. Working together with the talented team at Children’s Cancer Institute and ZERO partners, we aim to make a meaningful impact on the lives of children living with cancer”.

Led in partnership by Children’s Cancer Institute and Kids Cancer Centre at Sydney Children’s Hospital (Randwick), Zero Childhood Cancer brings together all major Australian clinical and research centres working in childhood cancer, as well as international collaborators.

Announcing the PacBio ANZ HiFi SMRT Grant Winner!

Announcing the PacBio ANZ HiFi SMRT Grant Winner!

We are delighted to announce that Professor Glenn King has been named the recipient of the 2020 PacBio ANZ HiFi SMRT Grant! Prof. King received the grant for his project ‘Deadly Genes: Exploring the Genome of the lethal Australian Box Jellyfish,’ and he plans to use HiFi sequencing in an integrated multi-omics investigation into venom of the Australian box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri.

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We've recently updated our DNA Sequencing Service Guide

We've recently updated our DNA Sequencing Service Guide

We have recently updated our service guide for our DNA Sequencing Service at AGRF and it’s full of useful information on the service. The guide outlines sample preparation, sequencing recommendations for DNA libraries, data outputs, sample requirements and sample submission. It also includes recommendations for bundled genome sequencing applications - see the table below for more information.

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Announcing our Summer Oncology Mini Grant Recipient

Announcing our Summer Oncology Mini Grant Recipient

We are delighted to announce that Associate Professor Daniel Buchanan has won our Summer Oncology Genotyping Mini Grant competition! As the recipient of the Mini Grant, which is presented in partnership with Illumina, Assoc. Prof. Buchanan will receive one EPIC genotyping array run at AGRF, including all consumables and labour. Congratulations to Assoc. Prof. Buchanan!

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Single Cell RNA Sequencing Webinar

Single Cell RNA Sequencing Webinar

We are excited to invite you to join us for an exclusive free online event, presented with the Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, to hear about Singe Cell RNA Sequencing. Dr Jafar Jabbari, our Senior Scientist - Innovation & Development, will present a talk on our 10X Chromium and Single Cell Sequencing capabilities at AGRF and you'll have the opportunity to ask him questions after his talk.

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AGRF-Sponsored Oz Single Cell Event Aired Yesterday

AGRF-Sponsored Oz Single Cell Event Aired Yesterday

We are excited to report that the Oz Single Cell episode ‘Oz Single Cell - Cell type, cell state, or cell artefact? Finding the biology in your single cell data’ aired online yesterday and was proudly sponsored by AGRF. The episode is part of a series of webinars presented for the Oz Single Cell online program this year in response to the COVID restrictions currently in place.

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Our Perth Site has Moved!

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The AGRF Perth Site has moved to a new address after a long stint at the Harry Perkins Institute. From Monday 17th August you can find us at the Royal Perth Hospital, at the following address:

New Address

AGRF Perth
Level 6, MRF building
Royal Perth Hospital
Rear 50 Murray St
Perth, WA 6000

What does this mean for you?

New drop-off location – please drop your samples off at the address listed above. Parking spots are located in the short-term parking under building – enter via Wellington Street. A drop-off tray will be located in the foyer of level 6. Also, the elevator allows access to all floors.

New pick-up location – samples can be dropped off at the Concierge desk at the Harry Perkins Medical Research Institute. Next day courier service is provided, and samples will be picked up the morning after your Online Sample Submission is received. Please ensure all samples are in the pick-up tray at Concierge prior to 9:00am.

Find out more about our Sample Collection Points here
View our contact details on our Contact Us page here

RNA to Results - RNA-Seq from as little as $299

RNA to Results - RNA-Seq from as little as $299

At AGRF, we're committed to helping you continue your research, even while you might still be working from home.

We're excited to offer you our RNA Sequencing services at reduced prices. Whether you're looking for traditional mRNA gene expression or you're wanting a deeper exploration of transcriptomes, we've got you covered.

RNA-Seq (library prep & sequencing) from as little $299.

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