32. Genome Project and Genomics
| Date | Source | Title | Summary | Other Categories |
| 07.26.2001 | Nature | International body aims to unpeel the banana genome | The genome of the main ancestral species of banana could be sequenced within five years, according to the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. The genome data, which will be made available free of charge to non-commercial interests, will help to identify genes involved in disease and pest resistance, and delayed ripening. | |
| 07.2001 | Nature Biotech | Patenting expressed sequence tags and single nucleotide polymorphisms | At a time when genome mapping is near completion and organizations are scrambling to stake claims on the fruits of their research, ESTs and SNPs still require a demonstration of utility to earn a patent. | 2. Patent Law, 19. General Patent and Biotechnology Information |
| 07.04.2001 | Globe Technology | Scientists Find Asthma Vaccine in Mite Gene | Singapore scientists have created a vaccine which could prevent millions of children from developing asthma - by using a gene from the dust mite. | |
| 06.12.2001 | Washington Post | Gene Tests Allow Disease-Free Baby | For the first time Doctors have used genetic tests to identify human embryos that lack cancer causing mutations. The technology has freed many families from fears of inherited diseases, but also raised concerns that “designer babies” will be next. | |
| 06.12.2001 | New York Times | Genome Project Rivals Trade Notes, Cordially | The two rival teams that decoded the human genome met on neutral ground last week to exchange notes on the merits of their respective approaches. | |
| 05.25.2001 | New York Times | 'The Genomic Revolution': Human Genome Gets to Meet the Family | The American Museum of Natural History has prepared a new exhibition entitled "The Genomic Revolution". | 57. Biotechnology, Technology and Educating the Public |
| 05.11.2001 | New York Times | Getting the Athletic Edge May Mean Altering Genes | Concerned that athletes would soon employ genetic engineering, the IOC and the affiliated World Anti-Doping Agency are about to convene inaugural meetings on the subject. The officials will discuss the potential benefits and risks of genetic engineering and the potential detection methods, and they will face a number of ethical questions. | 50. Gene Therapy |
| 05.08.2001 | New York Times | Building a Better Racehorse, From the Genome Up | The Horse Genome Project is the equine version of the human genome effort. The project began six years ago and was started by a group of geneticists concerned by the lagging state of genetic research on horses. The horse researchers are mapping, identifying genes and markers on the chromosomes of the horse. But the researchers are aided in their work, as chunks of the human genetic code appear only with mirror changes on the horse genome, allowing the researchers to make generous use of the human blueprint in locating equine genes. As a result, thoroughbred breeders will gain ways to screen stallions and mares for the genetic determinants of weakness in bone and muscle, allergies and other difficulties that can keep a horse off the track. | |
| 05.02.2001 | New York Times | Academic Team Accuses Commercial Rival of Faulty Work on Genome | The rivalry between the two teams that decoded the human genome has erupted again, with some academic biologists contending that Celera, their commercial rival, used a method that failed and in fact relied on the academic consortium’s method to assemble its own version of the genome. The dispute is important because it may settle whether the consortium’s or Celera’s method is the better way of decoding the genomes of other species. Also, if Celera’s work was derivative, the consortium’s scientists would gather the prizes and glory for decoding the human genome. | 16. Economics and Biotechnology |
| 04.29.2001 | Washington Post | Britain Moves to Ban Insurance Gene Tests | Britain's government has tentatively endorsed a ban on genetic testing by insurance companies, hoping to prevent the emergence of a "genetic underclass" of people unable to buy health or life insurance. | 4. Ethical and Social Concerns Arising out of Biotechnology |
| 04.10.2001 | BBC News | 'Flesh-eating' bug genome decoded | Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, have decoded the genome of Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A streptococci, the bug that causes "flesh-eating disease". The strep A bacterium is responsible for more human diseases than any other, including sore throat, scarlet fever and rheumatic fever. | |
| 04.06.2001 | Globe and Mail | We must set genetic limits | Alone among G7 nations, Canada has no regulatory framework for research into the human genome, warns Preston Manning, Opposition critic for science and technology. | 39. General Issues about Research |
| 04.06.2001 | BBC News | 'Suicidal genes' identified | Scientists in France and Switzerland say they have found genes that may cause suicidal behaviour. Two studies of patients in psychiatric hospitals indicated those with alterations in one of two genes were more likely to attempt suicide. | |
| 03.2001 | Nature Medicine | Legal Issues in Genomic Medicine | Genomic information has led to a variety of advancements in science and promises to offer more. As we consider the possibilities, we forget to consider the consequences. The law and legislation should govern genomics development by reflecting ethical concerns. | 4. Ethical and Social Concerns Arising out of Biotechnology |
| 03.2001 | Nature Reviews Genetics | Ethical and legal implications of pharmacogenomics | Legal and ethical issues are shaping the future of research studies, clinical trials and drug pricing as genomics technology becomes increasingly important in the development of drugs. | 4. Ethical and Social Issues Arising out of Biotechnology, 16. Economics and Biotechnology |
| 03.30.2001 | BBC News | Leprosy genetic link found | According to a study carried out by Madurai Kamaraj University, India, in collaboration with researchers at Oxford University, UK, certain people are more likely to contract the infectious disease leprosy because of their genetic make-up. | |
| 03.27.2001 | Washington Post | Japanese Firm to Develop Drugs Using HGS Data | A Japanese firm is developing drugs from gene-discoveries made from the genome project (using a firm's gene database). A discussion on the potential economic, business and pharmaceutical benefits from the human genome are presented. | 16. Economics and Biotechnology |
| 03.08.2001 | Nature | Survey shows public concern over biology | A survey by the government-funded Human Genetics Commission has revealed that 70% of the UK population has "little or no confidence" that regulations can keep track with and control new research in biology. The survey also found widespread concern over the use of genetic information by insurance companies and its retention by the police. | 4. Ethical and Social Concerns Arising out of Biotechnology |
| 03.08.2001 | BBC News | Genetic clues to musical ability | Researchers from St Thomas' Hospital Twin Unit (UK) have found that musical ability is passed from generation to generation through the genes. Their results suggest that genes control unique sites in the brain that determine levels of pitch perception. They now plan to expand their findings to look at other types of hearing impairment and hope to find the genes involved and unlock the mysteries of musical abilities in humans. | |
| 03.08.2001 | Nature | Canada increases support for genome initiative | Federal funding for Genome Canada, the non-profit-making corporation that aims to make Canada a world leader in genomics research, has been increased to support research and development in five new regional centres. The centres will focus on activities such as functional genomics, genomics sequencing, genotyping, functional proteomics and bioinformatics. Ethical, legal and societal issues related to these fields will also be studied. | 54. Proteomics |
| 03.08.2001 | BBC News | Superbug genetic trigger identified |
US scientists have pinpointed how superbugs become resistant to antibiotics. They identified how bacteria switch on the genetic machinery that enables bugs to evolve resistance to antibiotics like penicillin. The discovery raises the possibility of developing pharmaceuticals that will be more effective against infections caused by staphylococci bacteria. |
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| 03.02.2001 | BBC News | 'Ethnic divide' over gene research | Attitudes to genetic research can be affected by an individual's age, sex and ethnic origin, according to an opinion poll conducted the British government's Human Genetics Commission. According to the poll, women and people from an Asian background were more likely to believe that research into human genetics was unethical, and older people were more likely to have faith in regulations governing genetic research. Some statistical numbers are provided in this article. | 4. Ethical and Social Concerns Arising out of Biotechnology, 39. General Issues about Research |
| 03.01.2001 | BBC News | Rat genome is next | Celera Genomics has been awarded a US $58m grant by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), shared with Baylor College of Medicine, to read the DNA sequence of a rodent that has become a major experimental tool in biology labs across the world. | |
| 02.26.2001 | BBC News | Gene therapy 'prevents cancer' | Researchers of Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, say that a gene therapy technique has successfully prevented cancer in mice for what the researchers claim is the first time. They targeted a gene called FHIT, which is damaged in many common forms of cancer and mice who were then given gene therapy to provide them with a working copy of the FHIT gene, through a virus, appeared to be protected from developing cancer. Their findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. | |
| 02.22.2001 | Nature | Wheels start to turn for mutant mouse archive | After a somewhat shaky start, the European Mouse Mutant Archive (EMMA) is at last preparing to expand. With a grant from the European Commission, the archive is set to become an important source of mouse models for biologists. | 39. General Issues about Research, 53. Novel DNA Uses |
| 02.22.2001 | Nature | Indian genomics gets a billion-rupee boost | The Indian Council of Medical Research has pledged a billion rupees (US$21.5 million) over five years to support 70 research projects in genomics, building on the newly published human genome sequence (see Nature 409, 814–958; 2001). | |
| 02.15.2001 | Le Monde | Le génome décrypté donne les clés d'une biologie nouvelle | An article discussing the importance of genes and proteins and the new technologies emerging. Somewhat superficial coverage. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | What a long, strange trip it's been. . . | The draft human genome sequence published in Nature this week is the culmination of 15 years of work, involving 20 sequencing centres in six countries. Here, Nature presents a reminder of some of the key moments. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Single nucleotide polymorphisms: From the evolutionary past. . . | An article explaining SNPs and their significance with respect to our evolutionary heritage. Discussed are the areas of genetics that SNPs can inform, such as the genetic basis of 'normal' phenotypic variation and genetic variation in extant populations. The obstacles to overcome in sorting out the deluge of data (1.6 million to 3.2 million SNPs, are also discussed in some technical detail. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Single nucleotide polymorphisms: . . .to a future of genetic medicine | Single base differences between human genomes underlie differences in susceptibility to, or protection from, a host of diseases. Theis article discusses the main use of the human SNP map will be to dissect the contributions of individual genes to diseases that have a complex, multigene basis. Knowledge of genetic variation already affects patient care to some degree and the mainstay of medical genetics has been the study of the rare gene variants that lie behind inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Guide to the draft human genome | There are a number of ways to investigate the structure, function and evolution of the human genome. These include examining the morphology of normal and abnormal chromosomes, constructing maps of genomic landmarks, following the genetic transmission of phenotypes and DNA sequence variations, and characterizing thousands of individual genes. To this list we can now add the elucidation of the genomic DNA sequence, albeit at 'working draft' accuracy. The current challenge is to weave together these disparate types of data to produce the information infrastructure needed to support the next generation of biomedical research. Here the authors provide an overview of the different sources of information about the human genome and how modern information technology, in particular the internet, allows us to link them together. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Mining the draft human genome | Now that the draft human genome sequence is available, everyone wants to be able to use it. However, we have perhaps become complacent about our ability to turn new genomes into lists of genes. The higher volume of data associated with a larger genome is accompanied by a much greater increase in complexity. The authors discuss the need to appreciate both the scale of the challenge of vertebrate genome analysis and the limitations of current gene prediction methods and understanding. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Keeping time with the human genome | The cloning and characterization of 'clock gene' families has advanced our understanding of the molecular control of the mammalian circadian clock. We have analysed the human genome for additional relatives, and identified new candidate genes that may expand our knowledge of the molecular workings of the circadian clock. This knowledge could lead to the development of therapies for treating jet lag and sleep disorders, and add to our understanding of the genetic contribution of clock gene alterations to sleep and neuropsychiatric disorders. The human genome will also aid in the identification of output genes that ultimately control circadian behaviours. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Expressing the human genome | We have searched the human genome for genes encoding new proteins that may be involved in three nuclear gene expression processes: transcription, pre-messenger RNA splicing and polyadenylation. A plethora of potential new factors are implicated by sequence in nuclear gene expression, revealing a substantial but selective increase in complexity compared with Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans. Although the raw genomic information has limitations, its availability offers new experimental approaches for studying gene expression. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Learning about addiction from the genome | Drug addiction can be defined as the compulsive seeking and taking of a drug despite adverse consequences. Although addiction involves many psychological and social factors, it also represents a biological process: the effects of repeated drug exposure on a vulnerable brain. The sequencing of the human and other mammalian genomes will help us to understand the biology of addiction by enabling us to identify both genes that contribute to individual risk for addiction and those through which drugs cause addiction. The authors illustrate this potential impact by searching a draft sequence of the human genome for genes related to desensitization of receptors that mediate the actions of drugs of abuse on the nervous system. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | A Genomic view of immunology | The outstanding problems facing immunology are whole system issues: curing allergic and autoimmune disease and developing vaccines to stimulate stronger immune responses against pathogenic organisms and cancer. The authors hope that the human genome sequence will reveal the molecular checks and balances that ensure both an effective immunogenic response against pathogenic microorganisms and a suitably tolerogenic response to self antigens and innocuous environmental antigens. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Cancer and genomics | Identification of the genes that cause oncogenesis is a central aim of cancer research. In this article, the researchers searched the proteins predicted from the draft human genome sequence for paralogues of known tumour suppressor genes, but no novel genes were identified. They then assessed whether it was possible to search directly for oncogenic sequence changes in cancer cells by comparing cancer genome sequences against the draft genome. The experiment underscores the limited amount and variable quality of DNA sequence from cancer cells that is currently available. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Computational comparison of the two draft sequences of the human genome | This article examines the two distinct drafts of the human genome sequence. Although gaps, errors, redundancy and incomplete annotation mean that individually each falls short of the ideal, many of these problems can be assessed by comparison. Here we present some comparative analyses of these drafts. Here the authors look at a number of features of the sequences, including sequence gaps, continuity, consistency between the two sequences and patterns of DNA-binding protein motifs. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Initial sequencing and analysis of the human genome | Nature reports the results of the international collaboration to produce and make freely available a draft sequence of the human genome. Also present, an initial analysis of the data, describing some of the insights that can be gleaned from the sequence. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | A physical map of the human genome | The human genome is by far the largest genome to be sequenced, and its size and complexity present many challenges for sequence assembly. The International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium constructed a map of the whole genome to enable the selection of clones for sequencing and for the accurate assembly of the genome sequence. Here we report the construction of the whole-genome bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) map and its integration with previous landmark maps and information from mapping efforts focused on specific chromosomal regions. We also describe the integration of sequence data with the map. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | The draft sequences: comparing species | Comparing the human genome sequences with those of other species will not only reveal what makes us genetically different. It may also help us understand what our genes do. Comparisons of distantly related genomes are fascinating from an evolutionary point of view. But comparison of closely related genomes will be much more important in addressing the key problem now facing genomics — determining the function of individual DNA segments by identifying gene-control regions. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | The Draft sequences: Filling in the gaps | Essentially, 'rough draft' refers to the fact that the sequences are not continuous — there are gaps. If there are too many gaps, it can be impossible to order and orientate the many small strings of bases that are the raw products of genome sequencing. This might, for example, hamper projects that seek to identify genes involved in inherited diseases. Another problem is that it is hard to make definitive statements about which genes are unique to other species and do not have relatives in the human genome. Despite all this, the information now available has profound implications--e.g. there are already many heavily hunted disease-associated genes that have been identified using the public draft. Together with studies of single nucleotide polymorphisms — the base differences from human to human — the draft also provides a framework for understanding the genetic basis and evolution of many human characteristics. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | The maps: Clone by clone by clone | A very scientific, detailed look and step-by-step explanation of the method used by the public consortium, Human Genome Project, in sequencing the human genome. | 33. Cloning |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Our genome unveiled | A broad overview of the human genome and what answers, or discoveries, have been revealed already with the draft genome so far: number of estimated genes, size of genome, complexity etc. Also discussed briefly is what are the next steps given this data: (1)stay the course and get the most precise representation of the genome that we can (2) need to see more genomes, with each one giving us a deeper insight into our own. (3) need to learn how to take advantage of this book of life; (4)need to turn our new genomic information into an engine of pharmaceutical discovery. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Everyone's genome | An overview of Nature's special section on the Human Genome presented at a glance. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Talking about the genome | An interesting article, from a sociological perspective, on how the language we used in genetics and the genome project at times limits and distorts our own understanding, and the public understanding. Particularly, this sloppy language is not merely shorthand, scientists talking among themselves. Rather scientists talk to the media, then the media talk to the public. Public misinformation, it is argued, is largely and in origin the fault of scientists themselves whose phrases do a "violence to our understanding". | 4. Ethical and Social Concerns Arising out of Biotechnology |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Rice genome consortium will finish ahead of schedule | The International Rice Genome Sequencing Project has announced that it will finish sequencing of the Oryza japonica rice genome by the end of this year. But last month a private company announced that it had completed the sequence (see Nature 409, 551; 2000). Leaders of the consortium say they must finish the project to ensure that the data are accurate and freely available. | |
| 02.15.2001 | Nature | Human genomes public and private | [Opinion] Nature publishes the genomic data from the public consortium, and related results, freely available to all without restriction at http://www.nature.com and on pages 814–958. This article goes on to discuss the nature of public access to the human genomic data and the policy of Nature regarding publication of scientific information, generally, and the interface between commercial and academic interests in this access. | 4. Ethical and Social Concerns Arising out of Biotechnology |
| 02.14.2001 | GlobeTechnology | Mapping the Future | The article discusses Celera Genomics mapping of the human DNA and the commercial uses it is making. The article also raises some questions on commercial research. | |
| 02.12.2001 | Le Monde | Les bouleversantes révélations de l'exploration du génome humain | A critical look at the mapping of the human genome, including comparisons to other genomes. | |
| 02.11.2001 | Washtech.com | Life's Blueprint in Less Than an Inch | An article on the human genome. All the instructions for making a human being are packed within a surprisingly small number of genes — only about twice the number needed to grow a worm or a fly — according to the first detailed analysis of the entire human genetic code. | |
| 02.08.2001 | Nature | Japan's ape sequencing effort set to unravel the brain's secrets | The Genes and Minds Initiative (GEMINI) workshop will try to improve coordination of existing ape-genome sequencing efforts and of related research in neurological gene expression and gene-based evolutionary study of apes. It could also serve as a springboard for a major international effort in the sequencing of ape genomes. | |
| 02.01.2001 | Nature | Commercial sector scores success with whole rice genome | Syngenta, the world's largest agribusiness corporation, and gene-discovery company Myriad Genetics have sequenced the complete rice genome. But the sequence will be available only through contracts and will not be published. | 16. Economics and Biotechnology |
| 01.24.2001 | BBC News | Deadly 'burger bug' decoded | Scientists from the Genome Centre of Wisconsin, US have uncovered the exact genetic sequence of E. coli O157, the bacterium which poisons tens of thousands of people every year. At the moment we have no methods for treating E.coli O157 infections. It is hoped that the Wisconsin study will reveal ways to treat the infection. | |
| 01.12.2001 | BBC News | 'Sleepyhead gene' discovered | Scientists from the University of Utah claim that a gene, hPer2, which appears to play a role in controlling the "body clock" could explain why some people find it impossible to stay up late. | |
| 01.11.2001 | UK Telegraph | £70bn genome market hope 'threatened' by dithering' | The delay in building a £100 million "genome campus" in Cambridgeshire has frustrated many British scientists. The campus, it is claimed, is central to efforts to make Britain the "biotech hub" of Europe so that it can corner a market estimated to be worth £70 billion by 2005, an aim given enthusiastic support in a recent speech by Tony Blair. | 16. Economics and Biotechnology |
| 01.05.2001 | BBC News | 'The end of the beginning' | The publication of private and public work on the HGP is to be released in Science and Nature journals, respectively in Spring 2001. Dr. Francis Collins of the public consortium comments on how the work so far has contributed to the advance the rate of scientific discovery, and the difficulty in drawing the line between genetic therapy and genetic enhancement. | |
| 12.21.2000 | Nature | Genomics: Beyond the book of life | This article provides a “year-in-review” of genetic achievements, beginning with the announcement of the working draft of the human genome. It then proceeds to discuss the significances of other sequencing milestones and the transition from sequencing to functional genomics. It ends with a speculation of future challenges in structural biology and proteomics. | 54. Proteomics |
| 01.03.2001 | BBC News | Diabetes gene identified | Researchers at the Free University of Brussels have identified one of the genes involved in the development of adult-onset, or type 2 diabetes, which they have called SHIP2. | 1. Advances in Science/Scientific Discoveries |
| 12.21.2000 | Nature | Japanese genomics company offers shares in sequences | Dragon Genomics, a Japanese genomics company, has developed a business model in which investors can buy shares in any of the genome sequences the company deciphers. The investment model for Dragon will be designed to attract investors who are interested in a particular project. It has applied for a 'business method patent' in Japan to cover its model, and is considering similar applications in other countries. | 16. Economics and Biotechnology |
| 12.2000 | Nature Genetics | Who owns plant genetics? | This article examines the obstacles in the way of exploiting plant genetics to the needs of poor countries. Particularly, the extensive licensing rights that constrain the development and use of agbiotech are explored in some detail in this article. Initiatives currently underway to further the beneficial exploitation of agbiotech for poor countries are also discussed with respect to both private and public institutions. There is also some limited mention of the Plant Genome Project. | 4. Ethical and Social Concerns Arising out of biotechnology, 16.Economics and Biotechnology, 19. General Patent and Biotechnology Information |
| 12.2000 | Nature Biotech | Mouse genome in 2001 | The Mouse Sequencing Consortium (MSC) was formed in October to accelerate and expand the sequencing begun by the US National Human Genome Research Institute in September 1999. Also in October, Celera Genomics announced it had sequenced 95% of a mouse genome comprising three different strains, and that it also plans to create a mouse SNP database that will probably include the MSC's data. | |
| 12.14.2000 | Nature | Universities target bread mould genome | Four US universities have won a $5.25 million grant from the National Science Foundation to sequence the genome of the fungus Neurospora crassa, which they say will be a valuable model for human genetics. | |
| 12.14.2000 | Nature | Publication deal for Celera sparks row over data access | Science magazine has released details of the terms under which it plans to publish Celera Genomics' paper on the human genome - and drawn sharp criticism over the limits that the terms set on data access. The necessary ‘material transfer agreements’ could have disproportionate effects on bioinformaticians and the private sector. | 16. Economics and Biotechnology |
| 12.14.2000 | Nature | Faster sequencing slows down release of mouse gene data | The whole-genome shotgun technique that has been adopted by members of the HGP is affecting the consortium's ability to follow through on its promises over data release. HGP members had used this “early-disclosure” standard to differentiate the public project from the private one run by Celera Genomics; however, the shot-gun technique now makes it difficult for them to stick to their agreement to release sequencing data immediately. | |
| 12.14.2000 | Nature | Forces for collaboration falter with human genome in sight | The cooperation that characterized the international HGP is shifting rapidly towards competition as the project's members vie to decipher the genetic codes of other species, and adopt methods of sequencing more amenable to individual pursuits rather than concerted efforts. | 16. Economics and Biotechnology |
| 12.07.2000 | Nature | Germany looks to sequence bacterial genomes | The German government has launched an initiative in microbiology that will concentrate on investigating bacterial genomes. It hopes the work will lead not only to treatments for human disease, but also to a better understanding of bulk processes that may have potential applications in industry or for cleaning up the environment. | |
| 11.30.2000 | Nature | Wellcome Trust funds bid to unravel zebrafish genome | The UK Wellcome Trust is set to fund an effort to sequence the genome of the zebrafish (Danio rerio). The zebrafish is a model organism for the study of vertebrate development possessing desirable physiological features that will aid scientists in their study of the fish. All the data will be made freely available in the public domain. | |
| 11.23.2000 | Nature | Europe boosts genome resource centres . . . | The European Union's (EU) research commission last week announced increased support for genomics resource centres and large-scale genomics research. The move is a response to complaints from scientists that: EU research money is spread too thinly; that the work involved in applying is disproportionate to the low success rate and limited financial returns; also that it fails to support resource centres which they believe are vital to post-genomics research in Europe. | |
| 11.23.2000 | Nature | . . . as German genomics gets cash windfall | A windfall of money raised by government sales of mobile-phone licences is set to provide a boost for post-genomics research in Germany. It will be spent over the next three years in building up a 'technology platform' comprising different high-throughput post-genomics technologies, and creating networks of university clinical researchers to use it. | |
| 11.08.2000 | Washington Post | Proteomics on Parade | Proteomics, the cataloguing and analysis of the body's proteins, is bioscience's most important post-genomics area of study. | 54. Proteomics |
| 10.2000 | Nature Genetics | Genomics in the public domain: strategy and policy | The issue of whether the human genome will be freely available to the public or privately held as a proprietary resource is often framed as a conflict between ethics and greed. This article, however, looks at the debate from the perspective of "strategic considerations" to explain the timing and quality of information disclosures on both sides of the public-private divide. Factors supporting disclosure include: scientific recognition and credibility, widespread dissemination and use, and defeating potential patent claims. Reasons for withholding disclosure include: retaining exclusive access for customers, avoiding disclosure to rivals, and preserving patent rights | 10. Ethical and Social Concerns Arising out of Patents |
| 10.13.2000 | Nature | Project offers free mouse sequence | Researchers will get a free version of the mouse genome about two years earlier than planned, thanks to a public-private collaboration announced last week. The consortium, however, does not view its public version of the mouse genome as competing with Celera's efforts. Celera adopts a different sequencing technique and its subscribers will get the first view of the mouse, as the company expects to finish sequencing in November 2000. | |
| 09.2000 | Nature | Wellcome discusses structural genomics effort with industry... | Britain's Wellcome Trust and several companies are discussing the creation of an international consortium to advance structural genomics - the determination of the structures of proteins, RNA and other biological macromolecules. With the draft sequence of the human genome now available, the consortium's eventual goal would be to complement this approach with an industrial-scale drive to develop the high-throughput determination of thousands of structures. | |
| 09.2000 | Nature | ...but data release remains an open question | One of the question marks hanging over cooperation in structural genomics is how and when the structures of proteins and other macromolecules should be made public. Although, in April 2000, scientists from public agencies in nine countries agreed that there should be timely release of all data, for the next couple of years, the decision on when a structure is complete and ready for a database is left to researchers themselves. This is because there is no agreement or way of defining when a protein structure is accurate and complete - it is largely a matter of personal judgement. This indeterminacy is problematic because data access is critical to facilitating collaboration with industry. As several delegates at a meeting organized by the OECD pointed out, researchers may be reluctant to put valuable structural data into the public domain. | |
| 07.18.2000 | New York Times | Agriculture Takes Its Turn in the Genome Spotlight | In a scientific first, and a coup for science in Brazil, a team of more than 200 researchers there has for the first time deciphered the complete DNA sequence of an organism that causes a plant disease. Scientists said xylella's genome has already begun teaching biologists lessons about how pathogens evolve and about the destruction they cause. By revealing exactly which proteins this bacterium enlists to build itself and live its life, the complete sequence has also begun pointing the way toward methods for curbing this particular strain of the bacterium that attacks orange trees. The report contains surprises, including the presence of genes thought to be peculiar to animal pathogens and a complete lack of some genes thought to be essential to plant disease organisms. | 1. Advances in Science/Scientific Discoveries |
| 07.04.2000 | New York Times | The Next Chapter in the Book of Life: Structural Genomics | Now that scientists have effectively determined the complete sequence of human DNA, research teams are gearing up for a follow-on project that many say will be every bit as ambitious and difficult -- but also full of promise for medical research. The new endeavor focuses on proteins, which are the substances made by the body in response to instructions provided by the genes. It is actually the proteins that form the body and carry out its functions, so they are in some sense of more direct relevance to medicine than the genes themselves. | |
| 07.01.2000 | Globe and Mail | Take the shotgun approach if you buy genome stocks, Jeffrey Rubin says. | Although gene therapy is still in its infancy, its economic potential exceeds that of the so-called Internet economy. Even broadly defined, the information economy is at about 8 per cent of U.S. GDP. E-commerce represented less than 1 per cent of U.S. retail sales last Christmas. By comparison, the health economy, at 14 per cent of GDP, is almost twice the size of the information economy. And given the demographic profile of North America over the next 20 years, that share is likely to grow. Yet information economy stocks listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market have 14 times the capitalization of Nasdaq biotech stocks. If genomics becomes the market's new technological paradigm, are there lessons to be gleaned from the Internet experience?If there is one lesson, it's that picking individual winners in a period of explosive technological change is needlessly risky. | 16. Economics and Biotechnology |
| 06.27.2000 | Globe and Mail | Human Genome at a Glance | General discussion on what the genome is. | |
| 06.22.2000 | New York Times | Rivals in the Race to Decode Human DNA Agree to Cooperate | After months of fitful negotiation that seemed to flame out in a final angry exchange in February, the two sides racing to decode the human DNA have contrived a last-minute truce. The first element of the resurrected pact is likely to be a joint announcement next week of the effective completion of the genome. Although it is too late for a pooling of DNA sequencing efforts, the truce will include agreement for the competitors to publish their genome findings in the same issue of a journal. It may also provide for a joint annotation of the genome, the critical process of identifying the location and role of the genes on the genome. | |
| 03.14.2000 | CNN.com | U.S., Britain urge free access to human genome data | Scientists around the world should have free access to research on the mapping of human genes, the United States and Britain said in a joint statement released Tuesday. |