Texas A&M Board of Regents approves Center for Comparative Genomics

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents has approved the establishment of the Center for Comparative Genomics in animal genetics.

The new center is a joint initiative of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. It will serve as an intellectual home for faculty to expand research and training opportunities across campus as the genomics discipline grows nationally and globally. 

The center will contribute to genomic advances in human and animal health and agriculture. It will offer students cutting-edge training and experiences that lead to successful careers in a global economy.

“Texas A&M has been a leader in animal genetics and genomics for more than 30 years, and this center positions us to strengthen our stature as national and world leaders in comparative animal genomics,” said G. Cliff Lamb, director of AgriLife Research.

The center will operate as a unit within AgriLife Research in partnership with Texas A&M University.

“The center strongly aligns with our agency’s mission to advance leading-edge discoveries and innovation, sustainable production systems, economic strength and healthy living to benefit Texas, the U.S. and the world,” Lamb said.

Developing interdisciplinary research in animal science

This center will promote the growth of new interdisciplinary research programs in animal genomics, producing desirable production traits and new tools against diseases and fostering the next generation of basic and translational research discoveries.

Comparative genomics applications are broad and impactful, from precision improvements to animal health and production to biodiversity discovery, species conservation and translational biomedical research. Traditionally, these strengths at Texas A&M have been distributed between the two colleges and AgriLife Research.

William Murphy, Ph.D., the James E. Womack University Professor of Genetics in the Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences within the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, will be the center’s director.

“At no other time in our history has it been so easy to sequence, assemble and interpret the genomes of hundreds to thousands of individuals,” Murphy said. “Comparative genomics leverages genomic history to identify genomic regions of critical function and novelty, which have important applications in biomedical, animal health and conservation contexts. This investment in the growth of this discipline at Texas A&M is timely and will continue the legacy established by the late Dr. James Womack more than 40 years ago.”

Texas A&M’s comparative genomics faculty are active participants and leaders in national and international collaborations that have sequenced the genomes of more than 300 animal species. This has revolutionized translational impacts in agriculture, industry and human medicine.

Faculty members have received more than $100 million in research funding and are published in top-tier peer-reviewed international journals. They interact with nearly every college, school and interdisciplinary program on campus and scientists at many U.S. and international institutions.

Center establishment

The Chancellor’s Research Initiative has committed $5 million, and Texas A&M AgriLife will contribute $1.8 million to support the new center and its research. Additionally, the two colleges will receive support for start-ups for six new tenure-track faculty recruits and two additional AgriLife Research faculty members. The center director will hold an endowed chair.

The director of AgriLife Research and the center director will work to identify internal seed funding opportunities to enhance collaboration among scientists. They will seek philanthropic opportunities through the Texas A&M Foundation to provide additional support for the center’s activities.