Generating solutions

Recent advances in genomics have revealed that most of the DNA in complex organisms is comprised of transposable elements (DNA sequences that can change their positions within the genome). Transposable elements have major impacts on how organisms function and evolve. They can cause disease or adapt to new or changing environments.

Researchers need to better understand the role of transposable elements, but current tools that identify them accurately are difficult to use.

Drs. Mathieu Blanchette and Thomas Bureau aim to develop a user-friendly system to identify transposable elements more accurately and quickly. Doing so will also help speed up the development of genomic applications such as disease treatments and breeding strategies for agriculture.