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Announcements Archive

April 2004

• New Resource for Understanding Human Gene Function.
  Results of an ongoing effort to analyze tens of thousands of human genes are reported at http://www.plosbiology.org/ archive/ 1545-7885/2/6/ pdf/10.1371_journal.pbio.0020162-p-S.pdf. This effort was coordinated by the Integrated Molecular Analysis of Genome Expression (IMAGE) consortium, http://image.llnl.gov/, a project initiated by the DOE Human Genome Program and now funded by the National Institutes of Health. This remarkable new resource will speed discovery and understanding of human genes for both disease and normal physiologic function.
• Sequencing Targets: Recommendations Sought for Sequencing Targets in Support of the Science Missions of the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Candidates due by July 1, 2004. Federal Register notice available here (see bottom of page) or as web-browsable html.

March 2004

• Human Chromosome 19 Sequence Completed
  The DOE Joint Genome Institute and Stanford University completed the sequencing of the 55.8 million bases of human chromosome 19, the most gene-rich of all human chromosomes. For more information see this article and the press release.
  
• Chromosome 13 Sequence Completed
  The high quality sequence of chromosome 13 was reported in Nature (April 1, 2004). This 95.5 million base chromosome carries genes involved in breast cancer type two and other cancers, as well as the region frequently associated with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Chromosome 13 has one of the lowest gene densities among all human chromosomes, with some 633 genes identified by the team.

September 2003

• On September 10, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham presented Ari Patrinos and Francis Collins with the Secretary's Gold Award for their leadership of the public Human Genome Project. The Gold Award is DOE's highest honorary award. For more information see the press release.

May 2003

• DOE is seeking nominations of microbes, microbial consortia, and small organisms to be sequenced by the Joint Genome Institute. More. . .
  
  
• JGI and Diversa Announce Collaboration on Microbes
  The U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute and Diversa Corporation are collaborating to discover and sequence novel microbial genomes found in a diverse range of unique habitats. Read more.

April 2003

• First phase of Environmental Genome Project Completed
  The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has announced the completion of the first phase of the Environmental Genome Project, which seeks to characterize genes that confer susceptibility to such leading causes of death and illness as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and asthma. NIEHS researchers have resequenced and cataloged 200 environmentally responsive genes, identifying links to vascular disease, leukemia, and other conditions that affect the quality and length of life of many Americans.
  
  
• DOE Will Increase Funding to IBEA
  Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham said that the department will increase its funding to the Institute for Biological Energy Alternatives (IBEA). The money will be used for research to better understand microbial communities and to develop new biological methods for capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and producing hydrogen. Read more.

• Celebration of the Genome

  Fifty years ago this month, researchers Francis Crick and James Watson published their historic paper describing the double-helix structure of DNA. For their achievement, Drs. Watson and Crick were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962.

  Seventeen years ago this spring, at the recommendation of one of its scientists, the Department of Energy launched the effort to determine the DNA sequence of the human genome. This month, representatives of DOE and the National Institutes of Health will announce the completion of the sequencing of the human genome.

  The 50th anniversary of the Watson-Crick discovery of DNA and the successful completion of the Human Genome Project are being celebrated around the world throughout April 2003 - and in particular, at joint NIH-DOE symposia in Washington, D.C., on April 14-15. There, still another DOE contribution to the advancement of science also will be discussed: the Office of Science's Genomes to Life program. As part of DOE's Celebration of the Genome, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham will make a statement.

• "Realizing the Potential of the Genome Revolution: The Genomes to Life Program,"Marvin E. Frazier, Gary M. Johnson, David G. Thomassen, Carl E. Oliver, Aristides Patrinos
  Science 300, 290 (2003)
• 2003: 50 Years of the Double Helix: Celebrating 50 years of the discovery of the double helix DNA structure and the anticipated completion of the Human Genome Project
• Research abstracts from the New Horizons in Genomics meeting held March 30-April 1, 2003, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute.

March 2003

Call for Papers
The IEEE is calling for submission of papers for the 2003 IEEE Computer Society Bioinformatics Conference to be held August 11–13 at Stanford, California. The meeting will cover such topics as machine learning, data mining, robotics, regulatory networks, pattern recognition, Genomes to Life, genomics and proteomics, and gene-expression pathways. Submission date for papers is April 1, 2003. Queries and submissions may be sent to bioinformatics@computer.org. [Information]

Funding Opportunities at NHGRI

• Determination of All Functional Elements in Human DNA: Solicit participants for a Research Network that will conduct a pilot project to test and compare methods for identifying all the functional elements in a limited (~1%) region of the human genome.
• Identification and Verification of Functional Elements: Develop new and improved technologies for the efficient, comprehensive, high-throughput identification and verification of all types of sequence-based functional elements, particularly those other than coding sequences, for which adequate methods do not currently exist. This effort is part of a new public research consortium, the Encylopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE), the intent of which is eventually to identify all functional elements in the human genome sequence.

Due Dates: Letters of Intent, April 13, 2003; Applications, May 13, 2003

February 2003

BSCS Develops Fifth Module
The Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, with the support of the Department of Energy, has developed a new curriculum for high school biology that explores how scientists extract useful information from the Human Genome Project (HGP). “Bioinformatics and the Human Genome Project,” BSCS's fifth module related to HGP, includes background information for teachers and five classroom lessons. Lessons use both print and Web-based activities to help students learn how computers are used to assemble DNA sequences, locate genes, and obtain clues about gene functions. In this context, the ethical, social, and legal implications of genetic databases and informed consent are considered.

Interested teachers can visit the BSCS Web site to reserve a free copy. The modules are expected to be shipped to requestors the last week of March. After that, the curriculum will be available in PDF on the BSCS Web site or can be obtained from BSCS for $5.00.

January 2003

Eddy Rubin Named JGI Director
Internationally known geneticist and medical researcher Dr. Edward M. (Eddy) Rubin has been named Director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute (JGI). Rubin was also named Director of the Genomics Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Read more.

Fourth Human Chromosome Finished: Genes Implicated in Immune Response, Ovarian Cancer, Alzheimer’s
Chromosome 14 has been completely sequenced by a team of French and American scientists with the elimination of gaps and inconsistencies present in the draft sequence of the human genome published in February 2001. With more than 87 million nucleotides, this is the fourth and largest human chromosome finished to the high quality specified by the Human Genome Project. Others completed thus far are 22, 21, and 20, which were published in December 1999, May 2000, and December 2001, respectively.

In addition to the 506 genes already known to exist on chromosome 14, the research team at Genoscope, France’s National Sequencing Center, was able to identify 344 more genes. Two genes linked to chromosome 14 play important roles in the immune response. About 60 genes on this chromosome have been associated with a variety of genetic disorders such as early-onset Alzheimer’s, leukemia, Graves disease, spastic paraplegia, and ovarian cancer. A paper reporting the work was published electronically January 1, 2003, by Nature.

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