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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Agenda." National Research Council. 2006. Path to Effective Recovering of DNA from Formalin-Fixed Biological Samples in Natural History Collections: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11712.
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Appendix C
Agenda

Keck Center

National Academies

500 Fifth Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C.

May 8, 2006

8:30-9:00 a.m.

Opening Remarks and Introduction

Ann Bucklin and Donald Crothers, Cochairs

8:30-8:45

Purpose of the Workshop

Scott Miller

Session 1: State of DNA in Biological Samples after Exposure to Formalin

  • What is the state of preservation of DNA in the presence of formalin? Are the DNA chains intact or broken? Does formalin denature DNA or is it the process of extraction that is fragmenting the DNA? Are the nucleotides at each site being preserved or altered?

  • How can the physical and chemical states of the DNA-formalin cross-linkages be better characterized? What additional information on these cross-linkages is needed?

Moderator: Donald Crothers

Rapporteur: Timothy O’Leary

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Agenda." National Research Council. 2006. Path to Effective Recovering of DNA from Formalin-Fixed Biological Samples in Natural History Collections: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11712.
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9:00-10:00

Participant Brieflngs

Participants share their knowledge of and experience with assessing the condition of DNA in biological samples flxed in formalin

10:00-10:30

Open Discussion

10:30-10:45

Break

10:45-11:30

Open Discussion

Session 2: Optimization of DNA Sequence Information from the Samples

  • What new chemical and physical methods for DNA extraction should be tested, beyond those that have already been applied to formalin-flxed tissue?

  • In what ways and to what extent can fragmented DNA be repaired physically and chemically after extraction from formalin?

Moderator: Ann Bucklin

Rapporteur: Charles Cantor

11:30-12:30 p.m.

Participant Brieflngs

Participants share their knowledge of and experience with optimization of DNA sequence information from formalin-flxed samples

12:30-1:30

Lunch

1:30-3:45

Open Discussion

3:45-4:00

Break

Session 3: Bioinformatics for Reconstructing DNA Sequences

  • Can bioinformatics techniques be used to reconstruct the original sequence in silico from the DNA fragments recovered from formalin?

Moderator: Christoffer Schander

Rapporteur: Neil Hall

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Agenda." National Research Council. 2006. Path to Effective Recovering of DNA from Formalin-Fixed Biological Samples in Natural History Collections: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11712.
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4:00-4:20

Participant Brieflngs

Participants share their knowledge of and experience with bioinformatics for restructuring DNA sequences

4:20-5:20

Open Discussion

5:20-5:30

First-day Summation

May 9, 2006


Session 4: The Path towards Effective Retrieval of Genomic Information from Formalin-Fixed Samples


Moderators: Donald Crothers and Ann Bucklin

8:30-9:15 a.m.

Summary of Sessions 1-3

Timothy O’Leary, Charles Cantor, and Neil Hall, Rapporteurs

9:15-10:30

Open Discussion

10:30-10:45

Break

10:45-11:45

Open Discussion (cont’d)

11:45-12:00

Workshop Summation

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Agenda." National Research Council. 2006. Path to Effective Recovering of DNA from Formalin-Fixed Biological Samples in Natural History Collections: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11712.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Agenda." National Research Council. 2006. Path to Effective Recovering of DNA from Formalin-Fixed Biological Samples in Natural History Collections: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11712.
×
Page 49
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Agenda." National Research Council. 2006. Path to Effective Recovering of DNA from Formalin-Fixed Biological Samples in Natural History Collections: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11712.
×
Page 50
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Agenda." National Research Council. 2006. Path to Effective Recovering of DNA from Formalin-Fixed Biological Samples in Natural History Collections: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11712.
×
Page 51
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Agenda." National Research Council. 2006. Path to Effective Recovering of DNA from Formalin-Fixed Biological Samples in Natural History Collections: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11712.
×
Page 52
Path to Effective Recovering of DNA from Formalin-Fixed Biological Samples in Natural History Collections: Workshop Summary Get This Book
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Museums catalogue our knowledge of the Earth's biodiversity, and their collections represent many decades of work by experts. Access to DNA sequence information in archival specimens would greatly extend knowledge of the genetic relationships within our biosphere. However, molecular genetic analysis of museum specimens has been slowed by the usual practice of fixation and storage of samples in formalin. Formalin is an environmental toxin and induces genetic and chromosomal alterations to the samples.

Few of the many attempts to obtain and sequence DNA from formalin-fixed specimens stored in aqueous formalin or ethanol have been successful. All of the protocols are slow, difficult, and often expensive, and few produce DNA fragments longer than 500 base pairs. Path to Effective Recovering of DNA from Formalin-Fixed Biological Samples in Natural History Collections examines past attempts on DNA recovery from formalin-preserved biological specimens and discusses the research needed to advance the development of similar but more efficient and cost-effective protocols.

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