(Yicai Global) Oct. 13 -- Collaborative scientific research led by Chinese scientists to model microorganisms' genomes and carry out microorganism gene sequencing began yesterday in Beijing. The research is expected to complete more than 10,000 microorganism models and sequence the genes of over 1,000 microbiome samples in the next five years, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The World Data Center for Microorganisms and the Institute of Microbiology CAS led the cooperation with support from regional microbial resource collection centers in 12 countries including the US, Germany and Japan. The microbial gene sequencing and genome modeling network covers 20 countries.

The sequencing plan will cover more than 90 percent of known bacteria strains, while the microorganism gene sequencing mainly relates to the fields of the human body, the environment and the ocean, says Juncai Ma, director of the World Data Center for Microorganisms and director of IMCAS's Network Information Center.

Through the implementation of the collaboration, China will lead the establishment of an international standard in the study of microbiology and an international authoritative microbiome data platform, Juncai said.