Genomics and immunogenetics assessment of Malayan Tiger

This project developed as an offshoot of our on-going collaboration with PERHILITAN on the School of Science's strategic Malaysian BioGenome Project (MBP) that aims to generate reference genomic sequences for all complex life forms in Malaysia. PERHILITAN applied for funding under the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF) to aid in conservation of the endangered Malayan Tiger and part of this funding is being transferred to Monash University Malaysia to conduct genomic sequencing of this iconic Malaysian vertebrate. The aim is to generate a high quality reference genome for this species and use a combination of long-read and short-read sequencing in ~100 Malayan Tigers to characterize their genetic variation, particularly in immune response genes, and identify variants that could be used in forensic species identification.