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Human Genome News, January 1992; 3(5)
Researchers at Howard University in Washington, D.C., are planning to expand the university's human genome research program by setting up the African-American Reference Family Panel, an organized collection of family histories and DNA samples. The panel will be modeled on the French Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain (CEPH) collection, which consists of information from 61 Caucasian families and is used worldwide in genetic mapping studies.
African-American genetic data will help scientists identify gene-based differences already known to exist among population subgroups in sensitivity to drugs, immune response to organ transplants, susceptibility to diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes, and the influence of environment on health.
A team led by Howard University microbiologist Georgia Dunston will develop procedures for recruiting subject families, establishing a resource laboratory that will share information with other investigators, and managing research data by computer.
The 2-year planning project, expected to cost around $425,000, will be supported by the NIH National Center for Human Genome Research. These funds supplement a Research Centers in Minority Institutions grant from the NIH National Center for Research Resources. After the planning period, the research team will apply for NIH funding to support the family panel as a resource for Howard University scientists and other genetics researchers.
HGMIS Staff
The electronic form of the newsletter may be cited in the following style:
Human Genome Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Human Genome News (v3n5).
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.
