Lichen metagenome sequencing and assembly of type lichen specimen from the Natural History Museum, London as under the DEFRA Fungarium Sequencing Project
The Natural History Museum's Lichen Collection is one of the world's largest lichen collections with over 400,00 specimens, including 7,000 types. We propose a molecular digitisation project that will bring about a paradigm shift in the way fungi are identified and digitised with direct applications in argicultural, envrionmental, medicinal, and biochemical research.  This project aims to achieve the:  - Genetic characterisation of at least ~1,000 type lichen specimens - creating a reference database that will allow scientists and businesses to identify plant and animal pathogens, new invasive species in the UK and the fungal diversity in soils - Establishment of a next generation –omics methodology for large scale fungarium sequencing that will combine multiple approaches and disciplines. A new gold standard for historical collections will be developed, with new protocols and pipelines made publicly available - Improved fungal diagnosis and disease surveillance by setting up the basis for a properly curated database of fungal sequences from reference material, especially types. We will provide a user-friendly interface for rapid sequence ID - New opportunities for scientific discovery and innovation unleashed through large-scale data mining and analysis, which will streamline and accelerate the discovery of new species and enable the early detection of fungal biosecurity threats. As a case study for future application, we will establish a proof of concept for the discovery of novel antifungal peptides from preserved fungal specimens. - Establishment of a sustainable system that supports the continued processing of incoming specimens and provides access to their digitised records beyond the lifetime of the project  This project is part of the greater Fungarium Sequencing project in collaboration with Kew, funded by DEFRA.