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Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Human Genome Program
Human Genome News, January-June 1997; 8:(3-4)
On April 9, Merck & Co., Inc., announced the establishment of the Merck Genome Research Institute, Inc. (MGRI) to support development of scientific technology for linking human genetic traits and resolving biological function of disease genes. This not-for-profit institute will promote and sponsor projects for broadly applicable assays and methodologies to improve the accuracy and speed with which function can be associated with sequences of genetic information.
"We believe this institute's mission meets a current scientific need to translate our knowledge of gene sequence into function," said MGRI President C. Thomas Caskey. "In the spirit of the Merck Gene Index Project, the institute will ensure that such genetic technology is available to the entire biomedical community."
Awarding one of its first grants, MGRI announced in April that it plans to give $8 million to Lexicon Genetics, Inc. (The Woodlands, Texas) to create 150 new strains of 'knockout' mice that have had particular genes disrupted. To help researchers determine the functions of the disabled genes, the mice will be made available at low cost to academic researchers.
Grant Research Areas
MGRI will fund grants or agreements to support research on gene function in the following general areas:
Grant applications should propose 1- to 2-year research projects that broadly address program objectives. Grants are expected to range from about $100,000 to $150,000 per project year and, in some cases, may be renewable. Large research projects and small pilot programs will be considered. [Contact for information, applications: Finley Austin, Administrative Director; MGRI; P.O. Box& 4, WP 42-300; Sumneytown Pike; West Point, PA 19486; mgri@merck.com]
The electronic form of the newsletter may be cited in the following style:
Human Genome Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Human Genome News (v8n3).
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.