A Wellcome change

The Sanger Centre, near Cambridge, has recently announced a five-year plan to follow up on its key role in the publication of the human genome sequence. Research into the understanding of the way genes function and express themselves, to develop tools, and involving comparisons between humans and other organisms is planned. The institute will try to identify as many genes as possible, try to determine their functions, and establish which regions control their expression. A £36 million investigation, the world's largest genetic study into possible genetic causes of cancer, will also form part of the project.

The Wellcome Trust, the world's biggest biomedical charity, will sponsor the work, spending £300 million on the new research. The Centre is changing its name to become the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. Institute director Allan Bradley said that 'the new funding will allow the institute to make a contribution to global science and medicine as significant as its contribution to the Human Genome Project'.