The order of the chemical units (bases) along a piece of DNA or RNA.
The first large-scale collection of genetic information from African Americans will be based at Howard University in Chicago, officials announced last week. It plans to collect DNA samples and medical information from 25,000 black people, mainly patients at hospitals associated with the Howard College of Medicine. The database project organisers...
The 50th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA presents a golden opportunity to take stock of what impact this and subsequent discoveries in molecular genetics have had and what it promises for the future of human health and happiness. Genetics is now big business. Worldwide anniversary celebrations...
Anniversaries are arbitrary things, but on this 50 anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick, we have, by design as much as coincidence, something else to celebrate: 'The completion of a high-quality, comprehensive sequence of the human genome... The genomic era is now a...
This week we report on the completion of the human genome sequence. But you could be forgiven for missing it. Only the Guardian newspaper gave the announcement significant column inches - most other news organisations gave it little more than a passing mention. Nearly three years ago, in June 2000, when...
The final version of the entire human genome sequence was unveiled last week by the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium, more than two years ahead of schedule. Since the 'rough draft' was published in February 2001, researchers have been proof-reading the sequence, and filling in most of the gaps. A...
Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse spoke last week of the need for public debate on the issues surrounding genetic testing, as genome sequencing techniques continue to develop at a rapid pace. At a public meeting held at the Royal Society last Tuesday, the leading UK scientist spoke of possible future...
The US National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has launched a new project to develop the best ways to identify and locate the 'useful' genetic information within the human genome. Dubbed ENCODE (the Encyclopedia of DNA elements), the research will allow scientists to 'learn how things work and how things...
UK and Dutch researchers have launched a major new study to identify human genes involved in cancer. The project, funded by Cancer Research UK and the Netherlands Cancer Institute, aims to look at 10,000 of the estimated 35,000 different genes that make up the human genome. Using a powerful new...
French and American scientists have published the entire genetic code of human chromosome 14, the largest of the 24 different human chromosomes. It is made up of over 87 million chemical letters (base-pairs) of DNA, and contains more than 60 genes known to be involved in diseases. Although a rough...
Plans to expand the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus in Cambridgeshire, UK, have finally been given the go-ahead. The new laboratories will provide facilities for academic and industry scientists to use knowledge gained from the Human Genome Project in medical research. The site, based in Hinxton, is already home to the...
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