Acquisition of Equipment for Genetic Analyses and Long-Term DNA Storage

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A grant has been awarded to the Bernice P. Bishop Museum under the direction of Drs. Christopher F. Puttock and Shelley A. James to support the acquisition and maintenance of a DNA genetic analysis system, associated sequence analysis software and hardware, a gel analyzing system and spectrophotometer, and equipment for long-term DNA storage. The Pacific Center for Molecular Biodiversity (PCMB) was established at the Bishop Museum in 2001 to further the museum's mission to address natural science and cultural history questions of Hawai'i and the Pacific region through molecular research. Research productivity has been hindered by instrument availability, prolonged delays due to outsourcing for sequencing and genetic analysis, and the lack of ultra-cold storage. Acquisition of instrumentation through the award will greatly enhance the research capacity and training for the study of the biota of Hawaii and the Pacific region in five key areas: specimen preservation; biodiversity; systematics and ecology; identification and forensic studies; and bio-anthropology. It will allow the integration of modern molecular studies with traditional taxonomic studies of Bishop Museum collections. PCMB will store and provide to researchers aliquots of genetic material of biota that are now rare or otherwise unavailable for molecular analysis, thus maintaining the integrity of Bishop Museum collections. New molecular research techniques will be undertaken, with new protocols being developed in a timely manner unhindered by instrument and outsourcing delays. Support provided by this award will result in increased training and education opportunities for scientists and students, particularly for Hawaiian and Pacific Island native peoples and citizens of Asian-American descent by offering internship and traineeship programs. PCMB will provide research opportunities pertaining to Hawaii and the Pacific to be kept within the Hawaiian Islands, while expanding the use of Bishop Museum collections by local, national and international scientific research communities by providing samples of genetic resources and encouraging the use of the available facilities and equipment. Results of research are made available to scientists and the general public through publication using web-based, electronic and traditional media.