Optimized DNA Extracting Method for Oxford Nanopore- Long reads Sequencing from Marine samples

Abstract

Sustaining social and economic growth is impossible without a holistic environmental vision that places environmental preservation for Qatar’s future generations at the forefront. According to the Ministry of Development and Planning and Statistics, the Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030 aims to direct Qatar towards a balance between developmental needs and the protection of its natural environment, whether land, sea or air. As such, the QNV 2030 includes an emphasis on establishing environmental institutions that can serve as the guardians of Qatar’s environmental heritage. The QNV 2030 also emphasizes the importance of increasing citizens’ awareness of their role in protecting the country’s environment for their children and the nation’s future generations. The State of Qatar has chosen to pursue the path of sustainable development, making it the focus of the Qatar National Development Strategy. Given the large-scale industrialization and the limited land availability, the urban environment will be crucial in maintaining native species. The presence of heavy petrochemical firms in Qatar necessitates stressing on researches related to biomonitoring of environmental ecosystem with the aim to understand and provide impactful solution for different environmental challenges affecting Qatari health, and damages to local ecosystem. Due to the extreme temperatures and salinities in the Gulf region, the national biodiversity has adapted to survive under extreme conditions. Furthermore, the barriers that isolate the Arabian Gulf have created an environment that is rich with endemic species that are specific to the region. As such, this project aimed to cover the gap in the genomic analysis of Qatar’s rich environment. The goal was to decipher the genetic background of different animal species, marine and environmental species specific to the Qatari environmental landscape that has been previously described by Qatar University’s environmental science center. The study also deciphered the microflora in marine environment that is an important building block of the environment and an indicator of its richness. The outcome from this study is to help in preservation of important species in Qatar and will guide the establishment of a national genomic habitat platform in Qatar