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MAFGEN Project

Collaborative genome database for clinical isolate genomes that were not identified by MALDI-TOF ID system.
  • Click here for the official MAFGEN manual in PDF.

    What is MAFGEN project?

    Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a technique that has been widely used for diagnostic of infectious diseases. The word MAFGEN is the abbreviation for "MALDI-TOF MS FAILED GENOME". As the project name indicates, it is a collaborative research project that aims to collect the reference grade bacterial genome sequence data that are unidentifiable with the MALDI-TOF MS system.

  • Purpose of the project

    The purpose of this project is to obtain the reference grade bacterial genome sequence data of the isolates that are unidentifiable by the current MALDI-TOF MS system. The participating laboratories can obtain the species identification with unprecedented accuracy and the necessary data for global scale epidemiology. We believe that this project can benefit both national and regional diagnostic laboratories

  • Requirement for your organization

    You must represent your medical institution where clinical bacterial isolates are identified by one of the MALDI-TOF MS systems for diagnostic purposes.

  • What you need to provide

    • The database will only accommodate the bacterial isolates that were not identified by an up-to-date MALDI-TOF ID system. Fungal isolates will not be considered at this stage.
    • Metadata of your isolate (source/patient information, geographical location, isolation date, etc.)
    • Detailed ID result from your MALDI-TOF MS system
    • A high-quality genomic DNA from your bacterial isolate (up to 10 strains/year)

  • What you will get

    • Fully assembled genome sequence data (contigs) and, if requested, raw FASTQ data. (Data will be stored for 1 year). We will use Illumina MiSeq or iSeq 100 system.
    • Profile of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene(s).
    • Profile of potential virulence factor(s).
    • Genome-based identification result (including novel species).

  • Data authorities & rights

    • By submitting the data, you and your organization agree that both CJ Bioscience and your organization share the ownership of the data.
    • You will have the right to use and publish data for academic purposes.
    • CJ Bioscience will have the right to use the data for commercial purposes.
    • The submission quota for each organization is to submit ten samples/year.
    • For more information please contact our project manager-(Dr. Daniel Ha).

Overall Procedure

  • Extract genomic
    DNA
  • Fill the
    Request Form at the MAFGEN website
  • Ship your DNA sample
    with the printed form to us
  • We will sequence
    your genome for free
  • Bioinformatics results
    are provided
    in our cloud solution

Research examples

Declaration of novel speceis.
  • Fukano et al. (2018) Mycobacterium shigaense sp. nov., a slow-growing, scotochromogenic species, is a member of the Mycobacterium simiae complex. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 68:2437-42.
  • Lo et al. High-quality genome sequence and description of Paenibacillus dakarensis sp. nov. New Microbes New Infect 2016;10:132-41
  • Seth-Smith et al. (2018) Discovery and Characterization of Mycobacterium basiliense sp. nov., a Nontuberculous Mycobacterium Isolated From Human Lungs. Front Microbiol 2018;9:3184.
Genome report/announcement
  • Monteiro da Silva et al. (2018) Draft Genome Sequence of Enterococcus faecium CL-6729, a Clinical Isolate Showing Constitutive Vancomycin Resistance. Microbiol Resour Announc 21;7(20)