Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University are partnering on the purchase of a new genomic sequencing machine. Both universities say they can achieve more by sharing resources.
The machine is called Illumina NovaSeq X Plus, and it untangles sequencing information from DNA or RNA samples. Scientists can use the data to better understand cancer, agricultural diseases, and other impacts to our health.
“Because of the size of what we can do, we can have hundreds of samples being done in a day, or thousands that could be done in a day, that ordinarily might have taken two, three, four weeks,” said Robin McCarley, executive director of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute at Virginia Tech.
“It’s really a huge quantum leap in being able to do these types of activities,” McCarley said.
There’s quite a bit of uncertainty over federal research dollars as the Trump administration has paused or canceled many grants over the past year. Collaborating is one way universities can advance research with fewer resources.
“It also sets the tone for collaboration between universities,” explained Srirama Rao, VCU’s vice president for research and innovation.
“It’s already now people are talking about, now that we’ve done this, ‘what’s the next thing?’” Rao said.
The machine will be housed at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, but researchers in Blacksburg can ship samples to the lab. Funding for the sequencing machine is from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
Professors and students from universities across Virginia will have access to the equipment, and commercial researchers will too.
“We’d like to be able to open this up across the Commonwealth,” McCarley said.
“And have those opportunities that include not just researchers, but student researchers, who come in here as part of an experiential learning process.”
