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Human Genome News, November 1993: 5(4)


NCHGR Scales Up C. elegans Sequencing

The NIH National Center for Human Genome Research (NCHGR) has awarded a 5-year, $29.7 million grant to Robert H. Waterston (Washington University School of Medicine). This grant will be used to establish the Washington University DNA Sequencing Center, bringing to 18 the number of NCHGR-supported genome and technology centers.

The sequencing center will continue to work closely with collaborators headed by John Sulston at the Sanger Center in Cambridge, England, and its four projects will have the following goals:

  • Complete the sequence of the 100-Mb Caenorhabditis elegans genome.
  • Assist in completing the sequence of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevesiae by contributing 3 Mb of sequence in the first 2 years of the project. A small project included for systematically altering gene expression in the sequenced regions.
  • Initiate a 2-year pilot project to evaluate approaches for sequencing human genomic DNA. In the first year, efforts will focus on the 200-kb region of chromosome 16p that harbors the gene for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. In the second and third years, attention will shift to medically important, gene-rich regions of chromosome 7.

Center activities will be supported by four cores, including a development core devoted to implementing robotics and technological improvements. An informatics core will develop software for automated assembly and editing of DNA sequence data and improved interpretation of generated sequence. With these technologies, Waterston hopes to increase the laboratory's annual sequencing capabilities from just over 1 Mb to 10 to 15 Mb.


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Human Genome Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Human Genome News (v5n4).

Human Genome Project 1990–2003

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.

Human Genome News

Published from 1989 until 2002, this newsletter facilitated HGP communication, helped prevent duplication of research effort, and informed persons interested in genome research.