WDCM Online conference on GCM 10K prokaryotic type strain sequencing project
30.06.2020
Dear colleagues,
I am Dr. Juncai MA, director of WFCC-MIRCEN World Data Center of Microorganisms(WDCM).
Genomic information is essential to underpin taxonomic, phylogenetic, evolutionary and functional studies to comprehensively decipher the characteristics of microorganisms, to explore microbiomes through metagenomics and also answer fundamental questions of nature and human life. However, there is still a big gap of genomic sequencing information for the bacterial and archaeal species with the more than 16 000 validly published names by the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP).
The World Data Center for Microorganisms (WDCM ) started the Global Catalogue of Microorganisms (GCM) project which aims to close current gaps in the genomic maps of microbes and hence to promote research through deep mining of the genomic data. Now more than 25 culture collections (including ATCC, JCM, KCTC, NBRC, CCUG, etc.) from 14 countries have confirmed to join this project. http://gctype.wdcm.org/.
More than 1400 high quality type strains genomic sequences were generated by this project and there are more than 3000 type strains in sequencing.
To promote this project, now
1. We encourage microbiologists from related fields to submit proposals for genomic data-related research questions based on the genomic sequencing data. In this cooperation, participant culture collections will provide type strain resources, WDCM will be responsible for the genome sequencing and data analysis. Microbiologists are expected to propose scientific questions and do related data analysis.
2. Since the IJSEM (The International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology) requires for the whole genome sequence for the publication of new species. We established the formal cooperation with IJSEM. WDCM will provide free genome sequencing services to IJSEM authors who are not able to afford to do genome sequencing. We have establish an online page to access this service at http://gctype.wdcm.org/sequencingnovel.jsp
We would like to encourage the cooperation with culture collections and taxonomists. However, As the COVID-19 virus are widely spreading on the world, the management and control measures, the daily work of scientists has been affected by lacking international cooperation and communication channels. Therefore, WDCM is going to host an online video workshop to promote the cooperation. The online video workshop will be host at 8:00-10:00 AM Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) (10:00-12:00 Belgium, 16:00-18:00 Beijing Time, NewYork 4:00-6:00), July23, 2020.
The meeting will be jointly hosted by World Data Center of Microorganisms (WDCM) and INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY (IJSEM), and supported by Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and World Federation for Culture Collections (WFCC).
The workshop will arrange several presentations (20-30 minutes) and followed by discussions. Current status of microbial genomic researches will be discussed and progress of GCM10K project details will be introduced on the meeting. Participants are also welcome to submit presentations. Please feel free to send the topics with the registration form, and the selected will be included in the agenda soon.
WDCM sincerely invites you to participate in this workshop, and please send the registration form to zhangjy@im.ac.cn before July 15.
Please feel free to connect us if you have any question and advice.