Genetics & Genomics of Environmental Disease Models
Environmental Genomics Workshop, June 28 - 29, 2005
National Institutes of Health
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) held a workshop on June 28-29, 2005 to establish priorities and future directions for NIEHS in environmental genomics. The workshop was attended by a diverse group of scientists from the extramural community and by representatives from the NIEHS intramural and extramural programs. In her opening remarks, Dr. Gwen Collman (Chief, NIEHS Susceptibility and Population Health Branch) briefly reviewed the Environmental Genome Project efforts. She asked workshop participants to assess current methods in environmental genomics, to identify deficiencies in available research tools for environmental genomics, and to define new opportunities that will allow NIEHS to make a unique contribution to this rapidly evolving field.
Dr. David Schwartz (Director, NIEHS) reiterated these points, briefly reviewed existing NIEHS programs in environmental genomics, and presented a framework for NIEHS’ future in this area. The CMGCC (Comparative Mouse Genomics Centers Consortium) and TRC (Toxicogenomics Research Consortium) programs, the molecular epidemiology planning grants, and the ELSI (Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications) programs, as well as the intramural core facilities and intramural and extramural research projects were briefly described. Dr. Schwartz also described the ongoing resequencing efforts of the Center for Rodent Genetics (CRG). Specifically, the CRG has contracted for the resequencing of 15 strains of mice by Perlegen. The resequencing of environmentally relevant human genes was also mentioned. These NIEHS programs have generated numerous resources for the scientific community.
Dr. Schwartz emphasized at the onset of the workshop that NIEHS is at a turning point in its environmental genomics efforts. NIEHS is now moving from developing infrastructure to answering questions about environmental health (EH). Specifically, Dr. Schwartz asked the workshop participants to focus on NIEHS’ contribution to understanding complex (chronic) diseases that would have the largest impact on society and public health overall. It was Dr. Schwartz’s opinion that NIEHS should give greater emphasis to disease endpoints than in the past, while establishing a unique identity for NIEHS within NIH. Dr. Schwartz also expressed an interest in having NIEHS participate in issues related to global environmental health.
Dr. Schwartz solicited input from workshop participants in guiding NIEHS’ future efforts, asking them to bring their collective wisdom, knowledge, and experience to bear on the task at hand: to develop a new strategic vision for environmental genomics at NIEHS. To move the field of environmental health science forward, the key areas in EH that must be addressed are exposure assessment, training, and bioinformatics infrastructure. Dr. Schwartz mentioned that the recommendations of this workshop will be considered by the NIEHS Strategic Planning Group this fall when they develop a framework outlining the Institute’s goals over the next five years.
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