About Us > Introduction

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics, fondly called KanGO, was established in February 2004 through a grant from the Australian Research Council as well as funding provided by the partner institutions that form the Centre and the Victorian Government Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development.

In 2007, KanGO was renewed for the three-year period, 2008-2010, as an ARC Centre of Excellence.

The partner institutions that form the Centre are:

• The Australian National University (Administering Institution)
  
• The University of Melbourne
  
• The University of New South Wales
  
• The Australian Genome Research Facility
  
• The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

Co-ordinated research is undertaken in the laboratories of all partner institutions and sequencing activities are undertaken at the Australian Genome Research Facility.

The integrated Centre has several research specialisations:

• Comparative mammalian genomics and molecular cytology
  
• Comparative reproduction and molecular development
  
• Genetics of hybrid animals and gene variation
  
• Animal breeding and genetics
  
• Bioinformatics
  
• Genomics and genome-wide functional analysis

The Centre aims to map and provide essential data for the completion of the sequence and assembly of the entire wallaby genome as a representative kangaroo and to explore functional biology of marsupial as models for understanding genomics, reproduction and development in mammals. The Centre will use this information to make fundamental discoveries about the organization, function and evolution of mammal genomes, including human.

The animal model for our studies is a small member of the kangaroo family, the tammar (Macropus eugenii). The tammar wallaby has been selected as it is amenable to handling and breeds well in captivity. It is also well understood, having been the subject of research in marsupial genetics and genomics, as well as physiological, developmental and ecological studies over many years.

During the extension phase of the Centre (2008-2010), we will expand our focus from two, to all eight chromosomes, of the female tammar wallaby genome.


Tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) with pouch young