Australian scientists successfully map the koala genome

(CNN) – A team of scientists led by Australia announced that she had successfully mapped the koala genes for the first time, which could help conservation and conservation efforts. create new treatments for diseases.

The project, called the Koala Genome Consortium, was published on Monday in "Nature Genetics", which details how researchers sequenced the complete koala genome with 95.1% accuracy, almost as accurate as the sequenced human genome .

The sequenced genome, which acts as a genetic code or map, provides a large amount of new information, say the researchers.

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Now they understand how koalas can eat eucalyptus leaves highly toxic, how their descendants are born without an immune system, and how koala mothers produce milk that changes cows. "This opens up all kinds of ways to monitor the genetic health of koala populations," said researcher Jennifer Graves, of La Trobe University, in a statement.

This genetic information gives researchers the hope that they can develop a vaccine against chlamydia that causes infertility and blindness in koalas. New South Wales and Queensland

Another great threat is consanguinity. As koala habitats have been destroyed over the years, "habitat connectivity" and the increase in inbreeding have been reduced, resulting in lower genetic diversity in koala populations.

"To ensure that this genetic diversity is conserved with other conservation measures to protect habitat, reduce vehicle attacks, dog attacks and diseases are the keys to Long-term survival of the koala, "said Rebecca Johnson, director of the Australian Museum Research Institute and one of the leading researchers.

"Our next efforts should focus on the application of these results to genetically manage koala populations and advance the treatment of diseases that affect koalas, with the goal of conserving this important species, "he added.

Koala populations have fallen since European colonization in Australia. Although they are slowly recovering in some states, they are still considered "vulnerable" by the government of this country.

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There is also the possibility that future studies on the genome of this marsupial "may be used for human health "said Earham Researcher Graham Etherington in a statement.

The team consisted of 54 scientists from 29 institutions in seven countries. the countries. They started working in 2013.

Using Powerful Computers and New Technologies at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, the team sequenced more than 20,000 genes, which they then badembled into a complete genome

The data sequence was made available to scientists around the world and is already available in public databases