Company announces database of human genes

A US company claims to have completed the first large-scale computer analysis of the human genetic code, using raw data generated by the publicly-funded Human Genome Project. DoubleTwist, based in Oakland, California, say they have located about 65,000 genes, and identified a further 40,000 potential genes.

The firm carried out its analysis using its own gene-hunting software and Sun supercomputers. The new database will be available to subscribers at the end of the month, according to Nick Tsinoremas, director of research at DoubleTwist. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies can either pay $10,000 to carry out 500 analyses using the database per year, or pay a flat fee of $650,000 for their own, regularly-updated copy.

Academic researchers will be able to subscribe to the DoubleTwist database at a discount, announced chairman John Couch last week. 'We are not in the business of patenting genes' he said. 'We are in the business of providing information and analytical tools for genetic research'. He said the company would be competing with Celera Genomics, the company carrying out its own sequencing and analysis of the human genome. Celera said last week it had signed up its first academic subscriber, Vanderbilt University.

Human Genome Project researchers have apparently welcomed the new resource. 'I couldn't be more thrilled' said Eric Lander, director of the Center for Genome Research, Boston. 'This is a real validation of the public sequencing project' he added.