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Human Genome Quarterly, Summer 1989; 1(2)
Technical advances presented at the 1989 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory meeting on Genome Mapping and Sequencing led participants to conclude that a complete ordered clone map for all human chromosomes will be forthcoming in the next few years. Acknowledged by the genome research community as the world's foremost assembly for dissemination of the latest genome mapping and sequencing research results, the Cold Spring Harbor meeting was a forum for presenting key research efforts and latest advances in this rapidly developing area.
Credit should be given to the organizers Charles Cantor, Maynard Olson, and Richard Roberts for the excellent program and well-run meeting, which was held April 26-30, 1989, in Cold Spring Harbor, New York.
The following are some impressions and highlights of the meeting, particularly from the perspective of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Human Genome Program.
Gene libraries. The gene libraries being produced at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are being used by numerous researchers around the world and are making a significant impact on human genome research.
Telomere studies. As an indication of the speed at which the field is moving last year one paper on the DNA sequence of the human telomere was presented (Bob Moyzis, LANL). This year an entire and interesting session was devoted to telomere studies.
Physical mapping. DOE-sponsored comprehensive physical mapping of human chromosomes is progressing well and represents the major share of the world's total efforts in this research area. One very promising new approach is the mapping by nucleation at repetitive sequences being done at LANL. Other important contributions included: improved in-situ hybridization technology, radiation hybrid mapping, utilization of the polymerase chain reaction, and yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) cloning.
The techniques and resources needed to complete an ordered clone map of the human genome are now considered to be in hand, or at least within reach, and they include:
Submitted by: David A. Smith, Acting Director
Health Effects Research Division
Office of Health and Environmental Research
U.S. Department of Energy
The electronic form of the newsletter may be cited in the following style:
Human Genome Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Human Genome News (v1n2).
The Human Genome Project (HGP) was an international 13-year effort, 1990 to 2003. Primary goals were to discover the complete set of human genes and make them accessible for further biological study, and determine the complete sequence of DNA bases in the human genome. See Timeline for more HGP history.
Published from 1989 until 2002, this newsletter facilitated HGP communication, helped prevent duplication of research effort, and informed persons interested in genome research.