New goal!

Hello again!

We have recently been approved for a stretch goal! Our new target is to hit $2700, which would cover the cost of all reagents necessary to perform next generation sequencing (NGS). NGS will allow us to quickly and accurately sequence and annotate complete mitochondrial genomes, something we have been trying to do for over a year using extremely tedious and difficult long PCR techniques. To date, I have gotten two of these long PCR reactions to work, and have been able to get no sequence data because the sequencing reactions do not work at this time. So much time, sweat, and money has been put in to this long PCR method with so few results, that we are desperate to move forward. With your help we can end the stalemate between researcher and PCR and move forward and generate vital data for new diagnostic tools and assays. With your help we can provide new tools to wildlife veterinarians for diagnosing infections in seals and whales! With your help we can diagnose and treat parasites like the gastrointestinal worms shown below. To me, the worms are awesome, but to the poor porpoise they are a real pain in the belly. 

Please show your support by spreading the word about our research. If you have already donated you have my deepest gratitude. If not, please consider donating! 

Thank you everyone! 

Caroline and the marine mammal parasite team. f