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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Researchers produce first-ever toolkit for RNA sequencing analysis using a ‘pantranscriptome’
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz introduce the first-ever method for analyzing RNA sequencing data genome-wide using a “pantranscriptome.”
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UCSC Genome Browser selected to first-ever Global Core Biodata Resource List
The UCSC Genome Browser is now part of the first list of Global Core Biodata Resources—a collection of 37 resources whose long-term funding and sustainability is critical to life science and biomedical research worldwide.
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Long-standing genomic mystery about the origins of introns explained in new study
A new study led by scientists at UC Santa Cruz and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) points to introners, one of several proposed mechanisms for the creation of introns, as an explanation for the origins of most introns across species.
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Braingeneers develop novel method to automate the growth of brain tissue organoids on a chip
A team of engineers and scientists at UC Santa Cruz has developed a new method for remote automation of the growth of cerebral organoids – miniature, three-dimensional models of brain tissue grown from stem cells.
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Remote-controlled microscopes bring complex biology education to students worldwide
As detailed in new research, UC Santa Cruz researchers have developed a method for using remote-controlled, internet-connected microscopes to enable students anywhere in the world to participate in designing and carrying out biology experiments.
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Biomolecular engineering professor wins American Cancer Society award to develop technology for cancer early detection
Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Daniel Kim won a four-year, $792,000 Research Scholar award from the American Cancer Society to support his work in developing RNA liquid biopsy technology to diagnose cancer early on.
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UCSC engineer played crucial role in 2022 Nobel Prize-winning research
UC Santa Cruz Baskin School of Engineering Professor Richard (Ed) Green was a major contributor to the Neanderthal Genome Project , the leader of which, Svante Pääbo, received the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
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Karen Miga discusses the future of equitable genomics research with Clinton, Bono
UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering and Associate Director for Human Pangenomics at the UCSC Genomics Institute Karen Miga joined former President Bill Clinton, U2 lead singer Bono, and Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Ghebreyesus to talk about the greatest health challenges and opportunities the world is currently facing.
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Karen Miga to speak with former president and other visionaries at the Clinton Global Initiative Meeting
This Tuesday, September 20 at 1:30 PST, Karen Miga will speak during the conference’s closing plenary session, joining Bill Clinton, Lin Manuel Miranda, Dolores Huerta, and more.
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New program will mentor and train students underrepresented in genomics research
The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute will partner with California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus to mentor and provide genomics research experience for students from these two hispanic-serving institutions.
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From concept to commercialization: how UCSC researchers revolutionized DNA sequencing
More than a quarter century since the first patents were filed, the UCSC researchers who pioneered nanopore sequencing reflect on the impact of their invention
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New study shows COVID-19 genomic recombination is uncommon but disproportionately occurs in spike protein region
An analysis of millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes finds that recombination of the virus is uncommon, but when it occurs, it is most often in the spike protein region, the area which allows the virus to attach to and infect host cells.
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Hallmark cancer gene regulates RNA ‘dark matter’
A new study finds that a key genetic mutation that occurs early on in cancer alters RNA “dark matter” and causes the release of previously unknown RNA biomarkers for cancer early detection.
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ASPIRE program launches to aid conservation in a changing climate
A new program out of the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute involves students in an effort to measure changes in biodiversity and ultimately prevent them.
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UCSC scholars join researchers statewide on a massive genomic study of California’s biodiversity
The California Conservation Genomics Project (CCGP) is a state-funded initiative with a single goal: to produce the most comprehensive, multispecies genomic dataset ever assembled to help manage regional biodiversity.
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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.