KAREN underpins the development of a new genetic tool producing bigger, healthier sheep, driving greater profits for New Zealand farmers.

AgResearch has developed new genomic tool that will transform sheep breeding and secure the future of farming in New Zealand.

A giant leap forward for sheep exports

Called the Illumina Ovine SNP50 BeadChip, this cutting-edge tool pinpoints small genetic differences or Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) in the sheep genome. These differences code for a variety of commercially important traits in sheep, such as disease resistance and healthier meat products.

The chip will help NZ farmers develop products tailored to an increasingly discerning market, attracting higher export premiums and an increase in value added export revenue. “KAREN is the innovation infrastructure we need to deliver increased export revenue and secure the future of farming in NZ," said AgResearch Senior Scientist John McEwan.

KAREN cuts the cost of science

KAREN enabled AgResearch to play a leading role in this venture. Because of KAREN, AgResearch hosts a single sequencing database, accessible to all research partners at lightning speeds.

Previously each organisation would have separate databases and spend a large amount of time keeping them synchronised and transferring data between them. But now, because of KAREN, AgResearch hosts a single database that assembles, processes, and annotates the data collected.

“KAREN has effectively shrunk distance and time, enabling us to host this sophisticated, internationally significant resource and harness the computing power of our international partners from right here in Invermay,” said John.

This scale of this collaboration, only possible through KAREN’s international connectivity, has brought significant cost savings to all organisations involved, largely due to reductions in the duplication of efforts and resources.

NZ science capabilities lead the charge

Now commercially available, the chip is the result of an international science and funding collaboration across 19 countries through the International Sheep Genomics Consortium (ISGC). Original sequencing of the sheep genome was carried out at the University of Otago andBaylor College of Medicine in Texas.

Led by John McEwan, the team from AgResearch then identified the majority of the 50,000 genetic differences or SNPs - expertise that fast-tracked the project and resulted in a high quality, high value research tool.

More information

SNP Chip video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoHv3E6FmCQ

Consortium website: http://www.sheephapmap.org

SNP chip for the sheep genome - AgResearch news, 14 January 2009

Collaboration key to success of sheep genome project - AgResearch news, 7 January 2008

[Images. Top: Courtesy of Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net. Bottom: The AgResearch team of Russell Smithies, Rudiger Brauning, Gemma Payne, John McEwan and Alan McCulloch (seated) that are using KAREN as a critical part of the process of skim sequencing, assembly and display of the ovine genome]

Updated: 16 March 2010