Coastal Marine Biolabs and Bio-Rad Announce Collaboration to Develop DNA Barcoding Activities for the Classroom

VENTURA, Calif. and HERCULES, Calif., Dec. 20, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Coastal Marine Biolabs (CMB), a recognized leader in its ongoing efforts to engage students in DNA barcoding, and Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research and clinical diagnostics products, today announced a collaboration to co-develop DNA barcoding instructional activities for the classroom.

The collaboration merges Bio-Rad's expertise in the development of instructional tools offered through its Biotechnology Explorer™ program with CMB's expertise in engaging students in the generation and submission of real DNA barcode data to the International Barcode of Life Project (iBOL), the world's largest biodiversity genomics initiative. The result of this collaboration will provide instructional activities and resources that will equip educators with innovative tools to promote bioliteracy and increase their students' interest in scientific discovery.

About DNA Barcoding and the International Barcode of Life Project

Inspired by commercial barcodes that are used to track consumer items, DNA barcoding is a digital identification system that uses a short segment of a mitochondrial reference gene to distinguish animal species. iBOL is a multinational alliance of scientists and institutions that have cataloged approximately 1 million DNA barcode records for approximately 85,000 species in the Barcode of Life Data Systems, a public access workbench and data repository. Formally launched in September 2010, iBOL seeks to expand the registry and assemble 5 million barcode records from 500,000 species by 2015. In addition to addressing basic issues in taxonomy research and accelerating the discovery of new species, DNA barcoding promises to be a valuable tool to address a variety of important applied environmental problems.  

About CMB

Based in Ventura, CA, CMB is a private educational organization that was founded by academic research scientists to address key recommendations for science education reform. CMB's life science curricula immerse high school students in active research that connects them to relevant, real-world issues that affect their everyday lives. CMB's interdisciplinary programs are designed to complement and expand the academic knowledge that students derive from their formal education, and provide opportunities for them to apply this knowledge in pursuit of contemporary research questions. To learn more, visit www.coastalmarinebiolabs.org.

About Bio-Rad

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb) has remained at the center of scientific discovery for more than 50 years, manufacturing and distributing a broad range of products for the life science research and clinical diagnostic markets. The company is renowned worldwide among hospitals, universities, major research institutions, as well as biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies for its commitment to quality and customer service. Founded in 1952, Bio-Rad is headquartered in Hercules, California, and serves more than 85,000 research and industry customers worldwide through its global network of operations. The company employs over 6,800 people globally and had revenues of nearly $1.8 billion in 2009. For more information, please visit www.bio-rad.com.

SOURCE Coastal Marine Biolabs