RADNOR, Pa. (March 22, 2011) — The United States Department of Energy/Joint Genome Institution awarded Cabrini College a grant that will, among other things, allow students to determine if genes can be used as an alternative energy source.
Working closely with Associate Professor of Biology David Dunbar and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Melinda Harrison, students will:
- make annotations using bioinformatics tools (genetics software) to locate genes in Halosimplex carlsbadense (a microbe found in water with high salt concentration)
- determine their functions, and
- uncover why some genes lay dormant for 250 million years.
The DOE/JGI will determine the order, or sequence, of the nucleotide bases of the genome (the entirety of an organism's hereditary information). After the genome has been sequenced, the JGI will send data to Cabrini so students, using gene searching software, can determine the number of genes and their location.
The grant will fund the sequencing cost of $25,000-$35,000 per genome.
When the research is completed, students will submit their findings to GenBank (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank), an online publication for all sequence genomes.
About Cabrini College
Students do extraordinary things at Cabrini College, a residential Catholic college welcoming students of all faiths, cultures and backgrounds. Since its founding in 1957 by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cabrini College has been a national leader among higher education institutions in social justice education. Cabrini offers more than 30 majors, pre-professional programs, concentrations and minors to undergraduate students, and has graduate programs at 15 off-site locations. The College’s serene 112-acre campus is located in Radnor, Pa., 30 minutes from Philadelphia.