skip navigation
Home Site Index Home
What's New
About the HGP Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues
Research Education Medicine Media

News!
Headlines * News Sources * Special Features * Announcements


 Subject Index
 Alphabetical Index

News
 What's New
 Genetics Headlines
 Human Genome News

 Meetings Calendar
 Media Guide

Basic Information
 FAQs
 Glossary
 Acronyms
 Links
 Genetics 101
 Publications

About the Project
 What is it?
 Goals
 Progress
 History
 Ethical Issues
 Benefits
 Genetics 101

Medicine &
the New Genetics

 Home
 Gene Testing
 Gene Therapy
 Pharmacogenomics

 Disease Information
 Genetic Counseling

Ethical, Legal,
Social Issues

 Home
 Privacy Legislation

 Gene Testing
 Patenting
 Forensics
 Genetically Modified Food
 Behavioral Genetics
 Genetics in Courtroom

Education
 Teachers
 Careers
 Students
 Webcasts Audio/Video
 Images
 Videos
 Chromosome Poster
 Presentations
 Genetics 101
 
Genética Websites en Español

Research
in Progress

 Home
 Sequencing
 Instrumentation
 Mapping
 Bioinformatics
 Functional Genomics
 ELSI Research
 Recent Abstracts
 US,Intl. Research Sites
 Funding

Publications
 Human Genome News
 Chromosome Poster
 Primer Molecular Genetics
 To Know Ourselves
 Your Genes, Your Choices
 2002 DOE Genome Abstracts
 List of All Publications

  ???Search This Site



Search Web pages
plus publications

 Contact Us
 Privacy Statement

 Site Stats and Credits

Announcements

November 2002

Human Genome Program ELSI Applications
The Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, has announced its interest in receiving proposals in support of the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications subprogram of the Human Genome Program. Applications, which are due February 13, 2003, should focus on (1) genetics and the workplace and (2) complex or multigenic traits. Preapplications, due November 25, 2002, are strongly encouraged. Complete solicitation text is at www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/Fr03-06.html.

Student Opportunities to Attend Nobel Laureate Meeting
Each year since 1951, Nobel Prizewinners in Chemistry, Physics, and Physiology or Medicine have met in Lindau, Germany, to discuss major issues of importance to their fields with students from around the world. The DOE Office of Science is sending a group of 25 second-year graduate students to attend the 53rd meeting from June 30 to July 4, 2003. Selected students will attend lectures and small-group meetings with the Nobel laureates. Transportation, lodging, and registration expenses will be arranged and paid for by the Office of Science.

Focus of the 2003 meeting will be on the life sciences, but discussions are sufficiently general that students in related disciplines (e.g., biochemistry, biophysics, computational sciences, biomedical engineering, applications of radiation to imaging, and medical therapy) can benefit from participating. Each institution with Office of Science funding may nominate one student, with nominations due January 23, 2003. Full information and forms are at www.orau.gov/orise/edu/lindau2003/.

October 2002

New NIH Advisory Committee
The National Institutes of Health has established the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society (SACGHS), which replaces the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing. SACGHS will explore, analyze, deliberate, and make recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the broad range of human health and societal issues raised by the development and use or potential misuse of genetic technologies.

JGI and VBI Collaborate on Phytophthora Genome
DOE's Joint Genome Institute is collaborating with the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute to decode and study the genomes of two species of Phytophthora, a fungus-like microbe responsible for a wide variety of destructive plant diseases, including the Irish potato famine in the 1840s. Phytophthora ramorum, the recently identified microbe responsible for Sudden Oak Death Syndrome, and P. sojae, which causes Soybean Root Rot, resemble fungi but are actually Stramenopiles, or "water molds."

Scientists hope to uncover clues leading to the control of virulent diseases that are attacking 17 species of trees on the West Coast, including redwoods, big leaf maples, bay trees, and Douglas firs, and causing serious damage to soybean crops in the Midwest and South. The work is supported by DOE, U. S. Department of Agriculture, and National Science Foundation.

Anopheles gambiae and Plasmodium falciparum Sequenced
A hundred years after the discovery that mosquitoes transmit the malaria parasite, an international consortium of laboratories and funding agencies has announced the sequencing of Anopheles gambiae, the most common mosquito in Africa, and Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite. A million people, most of them children, are killed by malaria each year, and 90% of all cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to causing so many deaths, malaria is considered a huge barrier to economic progress.

Scientists expect that the results of this 6-year project will help to bring malaria under control. Because malarial parasites and mosquitoes have developed resistance to drugs and insecticides, one approach would be to design "malaria-proof" mosquitoes that are unable to carry the parasites. Genetic data for the two organisms were published simultaneously in the journals Nature and Science.

Articles are available from the BBC News , CSMonitor.com, and the Globe and Mail web sites.

August 2002

    Sloan Research Fellowships Add Computational and Evolutionary Molecular Biology
    (Nominations due Sept. 15, 2002)
    Since 1955, Sloan Research Fellowships have provided support and recognition to young scientists, often in their first appointments to university faculties, who were setting up laboratories and establishing independent research projects with little or no outside support. Fellowships have been awarded in physics, chemistry, mathematics, neuroscience, economics, and computer science. Beginning with the 2002 program, awards have been added in computational and evolutionary molecular biology.

    Selection procedures are designed to identify the most promising researchers, who, once chosen, are free to pursue lines of inquiry most interesting to them. Their Sloan funds can be applied to a wide variety of uses for which other, more restricted funds such as research project grants cannot usually be employed. This flexibility often gives the fellowships a value well beyond their dollar amounts. Nomination forms are due by September 15 for awards to begin the following September.

    For eligibility requirements and nomination forms, see the Sloan Web site or contact Gwen Knowles (Tel: 212/649-1644).


    "An Introduction to Issues Underlying Patent Policy for the Emerging Genetic Information and Medical Treatment Industry,"
    a new paper by David J. Bjornstad (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) and Christine Dümmer (Hull, Dümmer, and Garland) is on the Web (www.jiee.org/pdf/2002_05_patent.pdf). The paper traces the development of patenting as applied to genomic intellectual property and related public-policy issues since 1998, presents one interpretation of the current state of affairs, and suggests topics worthy of further study.

July 2002

    Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE) Presented for BER-Funded Research
    Jizhong Zhou of the Environmental Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has won the prestigious PECASE award for his leadership in the fields of functional genomics and microbial ecology. In separate ceremonies on June 11 and 12, Zhou received congratulations and citations from Department of Energy Secretary Abraham and President Bush. Zhou, who has made significant contributions to a wide range of Biological and Environmental Research programs, was cited specifically for his "pioneering application of genomic and molecular technologies to environmental studies." Zhou and his research group have developed nucleic acid–based microarrays that can be used to analyze microbial community structure and function at levels of detail never before achieved. In addition to advancing the overall field of biology, their research findings will be critical to a wide range of DOE missions, including bioremediation, carbon sequestration, and biofuel production.

    Human cDNA Annotation Jamboree
    DOE is contributing to the support of an August 2002 invitational jamboree on cDNA annotation, to be hosted by the newly established Japan Biological Information Research Center. Although interpretation has been ongoing by teams working on particular genes, this will be the first public jamboree for human-genome-scale cDNA annotation. See www.ornl.gov/meetings/wccs/index.html for a concise history of cDNA sequencing and prior workshops.

    Energy Department Awards $103 Million for Post-Genomic Research
    Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today announced five major research awards for post-genomic research. The awards total $103 million over the next five years. Research will be conducted at six national laboratories, 16 universities and research hospitals and four private research institutes. The awards are part of the department's new "Genomes to Life" program.

May 2002

    JGI to Sequence Infectious Bacteria
    The Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek, California, has been enlisted to determine the whole genome sequences of a variety of infectious bacteria—a first step toward developing tests for rapidly identifying their presence in the environment. The first pathogens to be sequenced under this program at JGI's Production Genomics Facility (PGF) are members of the Bacillus, Brucella, Clostridium, Francisella, Shigella, and Yersinia groups. Several strains or related species will be sequenced in many groups, for example, two strains of Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) and one of the similar species Bacillus thuringiensis.

    Sequencing at JGI will not involve actual pathogens but will be done after the DNA of each pathogen is reduced to disassembled fragments at DOE national laboratories equipped with appropriate containment facilities. The completed sequence exists only as a string of letters in a computer's output. Draft sequences will be shared with Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories for finishing and annotation.

    One of the largest publicly funded genome-sequencing institutions in the world, JGI has concentrated on organisms of crucial interest to international researchers. For the Human Genome Project, JGI sequenced human chromosomes 5, 16, and 19, which together constitute some 11% of the human genome. JGI sequenced mouse DNA related to human chromosome 19 to illuminate the molecular evolutionary history of the two species and has participated in sequencing more than 50 important microorganisms.

    JGI funding is provided predominantly by DOE's Office of Science.

  • CASP5 Begins
    The fifth community-wide experiment on the Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP) will run from May through August of this year. The goal of CASP is to obtain an in-depth and objective assessment of current abilities and inabilities in the prediction of protein structures. In the competition, each participating team can select targets to predict from a few dozen protein sequences whose structures have been solved experimentally but not published. A group of invited assessors will evaluate how well each predicted structure matches the experimental one. The performance of each team will be ranked at the end of the prediction season, and the results will be announced at a meeting in Asilomar Center, California, at the beginning of December. More than 160 international teams participated in CASP4, which took place in 2000. More information is available on the Web site.

  • Brookhaven National Laboratory Researcher Wins Award
    Richard Setlow (Brookhaven National Laboratory) received the 2002 Environmental Mutagen Society award for his contributions to the scientific understanding of how environmental factors lead to DNA damage and how it is repaired. Setlow, a biophysicist, was honored specifically for his discovery of a DNA repair mechanism and the development of a method to measure this event. He was also cited for his discovery of a crucial link between unrepaired DNA damage and cancer. Among his many honors, Setlow also won the 1988 Enrico Fermi Award, the most prestigious scientific award given by DOE, for contributions to the fields of radiation physics and molecular biology. For more details, see the news release.

April 2002

  • ELSI-Funded "DNA Files" Radio Shows Win Peabody Award
    The DNA Files, a series of PBS radio broadcasts about the science and ethical challenges of the Human Genome Project, was chosen for a coveted Peabody award by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications of the University of Georgia. Produced by SoundVision Productions and narrated by John Hockenberry, The DNA Files was heard on National Public Radio stations in 1998, then augmented with five new programs and presented again in November 2001. The Peabody Award citation stated that the programs are "a vivid, accessible radio series explaining the intricate building blocks of genetic science." Initial funding for this series was provided by the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications program of the DOE Human Genome Program in the Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Previously, The DNA Files won a Dupont-Columbia University Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. Segments of The DNA Files can be heard on our Web site.

March 2002

  • Latest issue of Human Genome News Available
    The February 2002 Human Genome News, Vol. 12(1-2) is on the HGN Web site.

  • Mouse Genome Monthly, which will be produced for the next several months by the Mouse Genome Sequencing Consortium, is designed to keep the community of mouse researchers abreast of sequencing progress. The newsletter and related information are on the Web at www.nih.gov/science/models/mouse/genomics/index.html. Click on Mouse Sequencing Liaison Group.

January 2002

  • Research abstracts from the DOE Genome Program Contractor-Grantee Workshop, held January 27-31, 2002, in Oakland, CA, are available now at www.ornl.gov/hgmis/publicat/02santa/index.html

  • Office of Science Issues ELSI Call
    Program Notice 02-14

    The DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research is receiving applications in support of the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) component of the Human Genome Program. Applications should focus on issues of genetics and the workplace, storage of genetic information and tissue samples, education, or complex or multigenic traits.

    Preapplications referencing Program Notice 02-14 are due January 24, and formal applications are due March 28. More information is on the Web (www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/Fr02-14.html). [Contact: Joanne.Corcoran@science.doe.gov]

  • Online Sources of Life Science Information
    The Human Genome Project Information Web site has added a list of URLs for free online publications containing feature stories on the life sciences (www.ornl.gov/hgmis/resource/urls.html). The list emphasizes periodicals from the U.S. Department of Energy, including the Office of Science and national laboratories. Some well-known commercial and nonprofit science organizations also are listed, and most sites comprise current and archived issues.

  • DOE Seeking Microbial Candidates for Sequencing
    DOE is seeking nominations for candidate microbes and microbial communities to sequence in support of the Microbial Genome and Genomes to Life Programs. Candidate microbes should be relevant to DOE missions, such as those involved in environmental processes including waste remediation, carbon management, energy production, and biodefense. Sequencing of the selected microbes will be carried out at the DOE Production Genomics Facility of the Joint Genome Institute (www.jgi.doe.gov). Nominations are due March 28, and review will be completed early in the summer. Draft sequencing will begin later in the year after high-quality DNA has been provided.
  • NHGRI Initiates New System for Choosing Sequencing Targets
    The NIH National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has developed a new competitive process for selecting genomes to be sequenced with NHGRI support. Based on the submission and review of white papers, the new procedure will apply to all organisms except eubacteria, archaea, and plants, which are more appropriate to the missions of other NIH components or other agencies. Proposals for EST or full-length cDNA sequencing or the development of genomic resources will not be considered through this system. Individual investigators or representatives of scientific communities are encouraged to submit white papers, which will be accepted three times a year on February 10, June 10, and October 10.
  • Third Human Chromosome Finished
    Chromosome 20 Genes Implicated in Diabetes, Obesity
    Chromosome 20 is the first to be completed since publication of the working draft in February 2001. Sequenced by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Center (U.K.), this is the third and largest human chromosome finished to the high quality specified by the Human Genome Project. Others completed thus far are 22 and 21, which were published in December 1999 and May 2000, respectively. Some genes linked to chromosome 20 are implicated in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, severe combined immunodeficiency, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, cataract, and eczema. A paper reporting the work appeared in the December 20, 2001, issue of Nature.

  • GTL Program Announcement to National Laboratories
    www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/LAB02_13.html
    The offices of Biological and Environmental Research and Advanced Scientific Computing Research of DOE's Office of Science have issued a request for proposals (LAB 02-13) from national laboratories to support the Genomes to Life program (www.doegenomestolife.org/). Two or three large, multidisciplinary research teams will be established, preferably including partners from more than one national laboratory, universities, private research institutions, and companies. A similar solicitation for university-initiated Genomes to Life research will be posted in mid-January at the same Web site.
    Letter of Intent due: January 31, 2002; Formal Proposal due: April 2, 2002; Contact: Joanne Corcoran (301/903-6488, joanne.corcoran@science.doe.gov)

December 2001

  • NORD Ranked One of 100 Best
    Worth Magazine has named the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) one of the 100 best charities in America. In the magazine's December 2001 issue, an article entitled "For Greater Good" lists 100 charities picked by the editors as most deserving of support. Of NORD's annual budget of $2.2 million in FY 2000, $0.84 of every dollar went directly to serving clients and only $0.16 to fund raising and administration.

    Since 1983, NORD has been providing information on rare diseases and sources of help for patients and their families (203/746-6518, orphan@rarediseases.org, www.rarediseases.org).

  • Journal Devoted to Genomic Pathology
    The Journal of Pathology ‘s annual review issue [Vol.195(1)] is devoted to "Genomic Pathology—A New Frontier". The issue identifies promising techniques and explores how they may complement routine histopathology to broaden understanding of the causes and mechanisms of disease.

  • DOE MSD and NIH Joint Workshop
    The DOE Medical Sciences Division and the National Institutes of Health plan to convene a joint workshop early in 2002 to explore the use of innovative sensor technology for biomedical applications. Workshop objectives are to identify research efforts and problems associated with the application of sensors to biological research and medicine, facilitate communication among researchers and program staff, and communicate opportunities for funding.

    The workshop is tentatively scheduled for February 21–22 in the Washington, D.C., area, and attendance will be by invitation. Researchers who are interested in presenting their research at the meeting should submit a summary paragraph by December 21 to dean.cole@science.doe.gov. [Contact: Dean Cole, Medical Sciences Division, 301/903-3268]

November 2001

  • Mouse Genome Monthly
    The Mouse Genome Monthly newsletter, which will be produced for the next several months by the Mouse Genome Sequencing Consortium, is designed to keep the community of mouse researchers abreast of sequencing progress. The newsletter and related information are available on the Web (www.nih.gov/science/models/mouse/genomics/index.html).

  • Genomes to Life program funded for FY 2002
    As researchers press toward completion of the Human Genome Project by 2003, the DOE Office of Science takes the next leap forward by launching a program to explore how the static information in DNA "comes to life" to create dynamic living systems. The goals of the new Genomes to Life program, funded at $19.5 million in FY 2002, are to identify and characterize the protein complexes that perform most of the work of cells, characterize the gene regulatory networks that control those processes, characterize the functional repertoire of natural microbial communities at the molecular level, and develop the computational capabilities to gain an integrated and predictive understanding of biological systems. This knowledge will allow scientists to design ways to put the biological capabilities of various organisms to work.

    Potential payoffs from this new and comprehensive level of understanding include enabling U.S. independence from foreign oil for a more secure energy future, enhancing protection against biowarfare agents, stabilizing atmospheric carbon dioxide to counter global warming, and saving billions of dollars in toxic waste cleanup. For more details, see the Genomes to Life website (DOEGenomesToLife.org) or contact Marvin Frazier (marvin.frazier@science.doe.gov; 301/903-5468) of the Biological and Environmental Research program and Gary Johnson (garyj@er.doe.gov; 970/225-3794) of the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research.

  • DOE HGP Contractor-Grantee Meeting in January
    The ninth DOE Genome Contractor-Grantee Meeting will be held at the Oakland, California, Marriott City Center beginning Sunday evening, January 27, and ending Thursday afternoon, January 31, 2002. At least one person from each funded project is expected to attend the entire meeting and present a technical report on the project's research status. All projects will be represented by posters, and some will be selected for platform presentations (speakers will be notified by January 7). Abstracts were due November 9, and a completed registration form and payment must be received no later than December 16. Updated information is available at online. [Contact: Donn Davy, 510/486-4162, dfdavy@lbl.gov]
  • Interim Primer Released
    The new interim DOE primer on molecular genetics with accompanying PowerPoint slides is on the Web. Written by Denise Casey of HGMIS, Genomics and Its Impact on Medicine and Society: A 2001 Primer includes brief discussions about basic genomic science, Human Genome Project history and goals, the significance and meaning of the draft human genome sequence, next steps after HGP, medical and other anticipated benefits and societal concerns arising from the new genetics, and a dictionary of related terms. Individual or multiple print copies are available from HGMIS (865/574-7582, yustln@ornl.gov). A longer version of the primer is planned for next year.

  • New DNA Files to Air This Month
    Five new one-hour programs in The DNA Files series of documentaries will be broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the country beginning in November. These shows explore recent progress in genetic research and related ethical, legal, and social issues, all in easy-to-understand language. Produced by SoundVision and hosted by John Hockenberry, the new programs are DNA: Code of the Wild; Planet of the Bugs: The Neverending Tale; Search for the Fountain of Youth; Prescription for Conflict; and Life: How to Make a Cosmic Omelet. Listeners should contact their local NPR station for broadcast dates and times.

    Printed transcripts of the first nine programs, featured on NPR stations in 1998, can be downloaded from www.dnafiles.org/about/tapes.html, and audio cassettes can be ordered from the same site. Five segments from the earlier series can be heard at www.ornl.gov/hgmis/education/audio.html.

October 2001

  • Fugu rubripes Draft Sequence Completed
    An international consortium led by the DOE Joint Genome Institute blazed a shortcut to the biologically important regions of the human genome by completing a draft sequence of the genome of the Japanese pufferfish Fugu rubripes. Fugu has about the same number of genes and regulatory regions as the human genome, but these are embedded in only 365 million bases as compared to the 3 billion bases that make up human DNA. With far less so called "junk DNA" to sort through, finding Fugu genes and their controlling sequences should be a much easier task. The information can then be used to help identify these same elements in the human genome. The Fugu draft sequence is the first public assembly of an animal genome by the whole-genome shotgun sequencing method. The consortium plans to publish an analysis of the Fugu genome early next year and are making all sequence information freely available.For more details, www.jgi.doe.gov.

  • "Science, Knowledge, and Humanity" Debates Scheduled for October 26–28
    "Science, Knowledge, and Humanity" is a series of public debates by well-known speakers about the future of human innovation and progress. Topics will include such subjects as food biotechnology, alternative medicine, the ethics of knowledge, the Kennewick Man Dispute, genetically engineering people, and what it means to be human. [Full program]

    The series was organized by the London-based Institute of Ideas and the New School University in New York City. Debates will begin on Friday evening and run through Sunday in the Tishman Auditorium at New School University. [Further information or ticket purchase: 212/229-5353 (U.S.), +44-20-7269-9229 (U.K.), tonygilland@instituteofideas.com]

  • Patrinos Wins Distinguished Executive Award
    Aristides Patrinos, DOE Associate Director for Biological and Environmental Research, Office of Science, has been chosen to receive a 2001 Presidential Rank Award in the Distinguished Executives category. He was cited for exemplary leadership of the Human Genome and Global Climate Change programs, which have resulted in extraordinary public benefits and international recognition.

Archive of Previous News Items

To read pdf files, download the free Acrobat Reader software.


Last modified: Tuesday, November 05, 2002

Home * Search * Contacts * Disclaimer

Base URL: www.ornl.gov/hgmis

Site sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, Human Genome Program