Rice Genome Celebration

Rice Genome Celebration

U. S. Department of Agriculture

Washington DC

December 18, 2002

Remarks

John Marburger

Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy

Executive Office of the President

Thank you Mr. Ambassador. Prime Minister Koizumi's remarks reflect the importance of collaboration between our nations, not only in the area of genomics, but across all the frontiers of science and technology. I expect that collaboration to expand in breadth and depth as a result of the forthcoming High Level Joint Commission Meeting in Tokyo early next year, whose objective is to continue to promote mutually beneficial scientific programs.

President Bush understands the importance of these joint efforts between our countries. It is now my pleasure to read a message from the President on this auspicious occasion. I understand that this same message was read at the rice genome celebration in Tokyo.

"I send greetings to those gathered to celebrate the successful completion of a high-quality draft sequence of the rice genome. The International Rice Genome Sequencing Project, with Japan taking a leadership role, includes both public and private sector contributions. It is an example of positive results from such partnerships.

"International efforts such as this one accelerate scientific progress and help contribute to improving the lives of American citizens and all people around the world. I commend the scientists who worked together on this project. Your cooperative effort to determine the rice genome sequence and make it freely available to all is admirable. I am pleased the United States was a partner in this worthwhile endeavor.

"Best wishes for a memorable celebration. "

[signed]

George Bush

I know that the President is committed to advancing science and technology and cares deeply about these issues. He has a strong sense of what is important for American agriculture, and of the role science and technology can play in securing a safe, abundant and affordable food supply -- not only for the United States, but for the world.

Agriculture itself is one of the oldest technologies to create dramatic improvements in the quality of life for humankind, more than ten thousand years ago. Throughout history, advances in agricultural technology are linked directly to improvements in health, the enrichment of culture, and the development of vigorous economies. Unfortunately, even after all these millennia, many people in the world still do not enjoy the fruits of this progress. More than 800 million of our brothers and sisters throughout the world are under-nourished, and demographic projections indicate these numbers will increase in the near future.

Those nations which have the ability to do so must aggressively seek solutions to this problem. Fortunately, once again a technology has emerged that holds great promise. Part of the solution will certainly be the power of genomics to enhance our major food crops.

Agricultural applications of genomics are ripe for international collaboration. The International Rice Genome Project whose results we celebrate today demonstrates how effective such collaborations can be. The sequencing itself is just the beginning. Collaboration will be even more important as we enter the next phase of learning how the genetic information is used within the rice organism, and how the proteins for which it codes work to protect the plant and produce safe and healthy food for humans.

This work will become easier with time. Sequencing costs and times are declining rapidly, expanding the kinds of studies we can perform, especially on sequence variation and how it affects important agronomic properties. In 1997, for example, we estimated that it would have taken 24 years to sequence rice and 138 years to sequence maize if we were to produce sequence at the same rate we were producing Arabidopsis sequence at that time. We are now looking at producing a 6X draft sequence of a mammalian genome in months rather than years.

In June 2000, a working draft of the human genome—3 billion base pairs—was published. The cost of the project was $300 million. A project undertaken in early 2001 on a new genome of the same size using whole genome shotgun sequencing technology, which was not available in the early phase of the human genome project, was projected to cost "only" $100 million. Today, the cost of sequencing the same genome is close to $50 million, a two-fold improvement in 18 months. Dr. George Weinstock, a Co-Director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine, estimates that another 50% reduction is likely to be achieved in the upcoming 18 months. This is comparable to the famous "Moore's Law" in the semiconductor industry, characteristic of improvements in computer microprocessors.

This pricing, coupled to advances in computing power will be a transforming combination that will allow for a more complete understanding of how organisms function and interact with their environment than most of us imagined only a few years ago.

The work we are celebrating today is a very significant beginning of what will prove to be a long and fascinating road of discovery in plant biology.

On behalf of President Bush, and his entire administration, I thank you for your dedication, persistence, and resourcefulness. You have created a future not only for an exciting field of science, but for millions of people whose very existence depends upon your success.

Thank you.