A wealth of ELSI information at your fingertips: The ELSIhub
I hope that you had a happy, healthy, and (especially) safe Thanksgiving this year! Let’s continue to be optimistic that we will find ourselves in very different COVID-19 circumstances by next Thanksgiving.
I was remiss in making you aware of an important National Institutes of Health (NIH) milestone that took place earlier this fall. October 31, 2020, marked the 80th anniversary of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s dedication of the campus of the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. I encourage you to read the NIH Director’s Blog Post on this topic and also to view the available video footage of that historic day.
I am pleased to point out that we have added a new temporary section to The Genomic Landscape, one that highlights the “Guiding Principles and Values for Human Genomics” described in the recently published 2020 NHGRI Strategic Vision. In each of the next nine months, we will feature one of the Strategic Vision’s guiding principles/values, with an associated testimonial written by a member of the NHGRI leadership. See below for the first example of this feature, with a testimonial provided by Dr. Chris Gunter.
All the best,
In this issue
- A wealth of ELSI information at your fingertips: The ELSIhub
- NIH publishes a final policy for data management and sharing
- NHGRI unveils a short video on the human pangenome
- Student-driven online journal features current genomics research
- International Hundred Thousand Plus Cohort Consortium publishes research goals
- History and philosophy of science publications bridge gaps between social and biological sciences
- NHGRI’s Lisa Brooks elected 2020 AAAS Fellow
![2020 NHGRI Strategic Vision: Guiding Principles and Values for Human Genomics](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218034154im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/inline-images/Strategic_Vision_mailchimp_banner7.jpg)
Maintain an overarching focus on using genomics to understand biology, to enhance knowledge about disease, and to improve human health — genomics is now foundational across the entire continuum of biomedical research, from deciphering fundamental principles of biology to translating that knowledge into disease prevention and medical advances.
This guiding principle encapsulates everything that NHGRI stands for. The bulk of my graduate dissertation work was reporting the discovery of one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in one gene, FMR1, and showing a link between this SNP and the risk of one disease, fragile X syndrome. I could only dream that 20+ years later, we would be surveying the entire genome at once, even going into the ‘difficult regions’ to assess risks for complex conditions in all humans. It is an honor to now be a part of the Institute’s mission, enabling researchers everywhere to invent new genomics technologies and uses, and enabling translation of those to human health improvements.
Chris Gunter, Ph.D. (Senior Advisor to the NHGRI Director for Genomics Engagement)
Genome: Unlocking Life's Code
Learn More![Woman made of ACTGs](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218034154im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2019-03/Unlocking-Lifes-Code.jpg)
About The Genomics Landscape
A monthly update from the NHGRI Director on activities and accomplishments from the institute and the field of genomics.
Last updated: December 3, 2020