 | |
| Established | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Research type | Basic and Applied |
Field of research | Genomics |
| Director | Cynthia Saloma |
| Location | Quezon City, Philippines |
| Affiliations | University of the Philippines Diliman |
| Website | pgc |
The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) is a multi-disciplinary research facility in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines which specializes in genomics.
The Philippine Genome Center was established as a collaboration between the University of the Philippines and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). [1] It was first conceptualized in 2009 in response to the SARS outbreak which affected Hong Kong, the dengue outbreaks which affecting the Philippines, and the then-ongoing H1N1 flu pandemic which originated in Mexico. The first grants received by the PGC were for dengue diagnostic testing and H1N1 surveillance. [2] Initially the facility was placed under the jurisdiction of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman's Office of the President as per the approval of the UP Board of Regents in its July 31, 2009 meeting. [3]
The PGC was formally launched on November 28, 2011. In the beginning, the center operated virtually. From January 2013 until the opening of its building on September 11, 2019, [4] it was temporarily housed at the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at UP Diliman
To make DNA sequencing and bioinformatics services accessible to Filipino researchers, the DNA Sequencing Core Facility (DSCF) and Core Facility for Bioinformatics (CFB) were established with funding support from the DOST. On February 26, 2016, the UP Board of Regents approved the transfer of management and supervision of the PGC from the university's Office of the President to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs [3]
In 2019, PGC Mindanao [5] and PGC Visayas [6] were established as satellite offices in Mindanao and Visayas respectively.
In January 2020, the PGC in collaboration with UP Manila National Institutes of Health developed an RT-PCR SARS CoV-2 detection kit. [7]
In April 2020, the Department of Health has set the Philippine Genome Center as the 18th coronavirus testing hub. [8] It was also tasked to conduct genomic sequencing of COVID-19 samples. [9] In July 2021, PGC Mindanao and PGC Visayas was also given the task of detecting new variants with the plan on giving them machines to conduct genome sequencing. [10] In September 2021, the PGC has shifted its focus towards detecting new COVID-19 variants in the country and less focus on conducting RT-PCR tests. [11]
The PGC has two "core facilities"; the Core Facility for Bioinformatics (CFB) and the DNA Sequencing Core Facility (DSCF). A biobank is planned as PGC's third facility. [12] The two facilities were funded by a ₱100 million (US$2.2 million) grant over three years from the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) of the Department of Science and Technology. [2]
Opened on September 24, 2013 The DNA Sequencing Core Facility (DSCF) was the first core facility to open. Genomic studies in the field of agriculture, biodiversity, forensics, health, and ethnicity are conducted in the DSCF with the intent to specifically cater to Filipino needs. [12] DNA and genome sequencing services are provided at the DSCF. [2]
The Core Facility for Bioinformatics (CFB) is a facility that provides genome-scale data generation and analysis to local researchers in the academe, from government institutions and private organizations. It also provides genomic data storage. It is also augmented by an IBM Blue Gene supercomputer which is also used by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and Project Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (Project NOAH) for weather forecast and climate change modelling purposes in addition to genomic research use. The CFB was launched on April 14, 2014 while the supercomputer was made operational within the same day. [13]
PGC Mindanao provides various diagnostics and laboratory services to local researchers and laboratories. These services involve sample preparation, Spectrophotometry, Fluorometry, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Electrophoresis, Flow cytometry and various other bioinformatics and laboratory services.
The advanced equipment of PGC Mindanao are housed temporarily in the different laboratories of CSM: Biotechnology, Molecular Biology and Extraction Laboratory. [14]
Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field of science that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data, especially when the data sets are large and complex. Bioinformatics uses biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, computer programming, information engineering, mathematics and statistics to analyze and interpret biological data. The subsequent process of analyzing and interpreting data is referred to as computational biology.
Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of biology focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. A genome is an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes as well as its hierarchical, three-dimensional structural configuration. In contrast to genetics, which refers to the study of individual genes and their roles in inheritance, genomics aims at the collective characterization and quantification of all of an organism's genes, their interrelations and influence on the organism. Genes may direct the production of proteins with the assistance of enzymes and messenger molecules. In turn, proteins make up body structures such as organs and tissues as well as control chemical reactions and carry signals between cells. Genomics also involves the sequencing and analysis of genomes through uses of high throughput DNA sequencing and bioinformatics to assemble and analyze the function and structure of entire genomes. Advances in genomics have triggered a revolution in discovery-based research and systems biology to facilitate understanding of even the most complex biological systems such as the brain.
BGI Group, formerly Beijing Genomics Institute, is a Chinese genomics company with headquarters in Yantian District, Shenzhen. The company was originally formed in 1999 as a genetics research center to participate in the Human Genome Project. It also sequences the genomes of other animals, plants and microorganisms.
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The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, often referred to as the Broad Institute, is a biomedical and genomic research center located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The institute is independently governed and supported as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization under the name Broad Institute Inc., and it partners with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and the five Harvard teaching hospitals.
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Erasmus University Medical Center based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, affiliated with Erasmus University and home to its faculty of medicine, is the largest and one of the most authoritative scientific University Medical Centers in Europe. The hospital is the largest of the eight university medical centers in the Netherlands, both in terms of turnover and number of beds. The Erasmus MC ranks #1 of the top European institution in clinical medicine and #20 in the world according to the Times Higher Education rankings.
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) is an Indian government department, under the Ministry of Science and Technology responsible for administrating development and commercialisation in the field of modern biology and biotechnology in India. It was set up in 1986.
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