Leadership in Genomics
UC Santa Cruz has a long history of pioneering advances in genomics research. The first working draft of a human genome sequence was assembled on our campus in 2000, which led to enormous leaps in our collective understanding of human biology and disease. In 2022, we co-led the effort to assemble the first truly complete sequence of a human genome—covering each chromosome from end to end with no gaps and unprecedented accuracy—and it is now available for the whole world to access through the UCSC Genome Browser
UC Santa Cruz researchers also invented the idea of nanopore sequencing, which aims to make DNA sequencing progressively faster and less expensive, and the campus continues to provide many of the computational tools that fuel genomics research and innovation.
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Latest news
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The team behind a tree of 10 million Covid sequences
10 million sequences of COVID-19’s genomic code have now been organized into a phylogenetic tree in the UC Santa Cruz SARS-CoV-2 Browser, which is the largest tree of genomic sequences of a single species ever assembled.
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Karen Miga named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022
Karen Miga, assistant professor of biomolecular engineering at UC Santa Cruz, was named one of the 100 most influential people of 2022 by TIME. The honor was announced on May 23.
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UCSC and Amazon Web Services work to accelerate genomics research
The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute is collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to allow researchers to quickly and efficiently execute bioinformatics pipelines on AWS’s global cloud infrastructure.
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Genomics Institute tool becomes primary method to identify lineages of COVID-19 worldwide
As COVID-19 continues to mutate, software developed and maintained at the University of California, Santa Cruz’s Genomics Institute will now be at the core of the primary tool used by health officials worldwide to track the spread of variants in their community. It is now the default software behind the ubiquitously used tool Pangolin, replacing previous software to more accurately assign genomic samples of COVID-19 to a known branch on the virus’s family tree.
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First complete, gapless sequence of a human genome reveals hidden regions
Parts of the human genome now available to study for the first time are important for understanding genetic diseases, human diversity, and evolution.
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New responsible data sharing technique will enable better understanding of disease-causing genetic variants
Scientists may better understand and test for the genetic variations that cause cancer and other heritable diseases through the application of a novel strategy for securely sharing and analyzing genomic data developed at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute.
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Genome of extinct Steller’s sea cow reveals surprising link to human skin disease
Analysis of ancient DNA from sea cow bones finds genes that may have played a role in adaptation to cold marine environment and yields evidence of a long population decline.
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A new way to find genetic variations removes bias from human genotyping
Researchers at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute have demonstrated an effective new tool for mapping genetic variants in sequencing data using ‘pangenomics’ instead of a single reference genome .
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Researchers recover ancient mammoth tusk during deep-sea expedition
A team of researchers from UC Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and University of Michigan are studying the tusk retrieved from deep waters off the California coast.
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Biologist Beth Shapiro’s new book explores how humans have shaped life on Earth
‘Life as We Made It’ explains how our species has been manipulating nature for the past 50,000 years and what the future may hold, depending on how we use new technologies.
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NIH funds Center for Live Cell Genomics at UC Santa Cruz
The NIH Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science program has awarded $13.5 million over five years for a new center to advance genomics in biomedical research.
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UCSC signs $3M state contract to deliver a public health data platform for pathogen genomics
The one-year, $3 million contract with the California Department of Public Health will galvanize pandemic-related genomic data analysis efforts for the public good.
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Study takes unprecedented peek into life of 17,000-year-old mammoth
An international research team has retraced the astonishing lifetime journey of an Arctic woolly mammoth that roamed the Alaska landscape 17,000 years ago.
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David Haussler ranked 6th among top scientists in computer science
Haussler, a distinguished professor of biomolecular engineering and director of the Genomics Institute, is ranked sixth in the 2021 Seventh Edition of the Top Scientists Ranking for Computer Science & Electronics.
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Ancient horse DNA reveals gene flow between Eurasian and North American horses
New findings show connections between the ancient horse populations in North America, where horses evolved, and Eurasia, where they were domesticated.
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New tools enable rapid analysis of coronavirus sequences and tracking of variants
Developed by the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, UShER allows researchers to quickly see how a new viral sequence is related to all other variants of SARS-CoV-2, crucial information for tracking transmission dynamics.
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Project to read genomes of all 70,000 vertebrate species reports first discoveries
A bold project to read the complete genetic sequences of every known vertebrate species has reached its first milestone, publishing new methods and the first 25 high-quality genomes.
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Oldest DNA sequences reveal how mammoths evolved
Analysis of ancient DNA sequences recovered from mammoth teeth reveal North American mammoths were descended from two earlier mammoth lineages.