Biotechnology and the Human Genome: Innovations and Impacts: Science Writers Workshop

摘要

The Department of Energy's human genome project is one of several major new departmental initiatives that will strengthen the Nation's economic and technological competitiveness. It will provide the computational, engineering and biological capabilities needed to reduce the cost and accelerate the analysis of DNA, the basic genetic material. Knowledge of the entire human genetic map and the genomic sequence will allow investigators to more rapidly and effectively identify genes involved in genetic diseases, individual variabilities including radiation sensitivities, and physiological processes, as well as to make unprecedented inroads into evolutionary relationships. DOE-sponsored investigators in national laboratories, universities, and industry are constructing physical maps of human chromosomes made up of linearly ordered fragments of DNA, developing new techniques for use in determining the chemical sequence of the genetic code, and improving data acquisition, storage and analysis capabilities using the computer resources at Los Alamos. Development of these and other technologies in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, instrumentation, automation and computing will place the United States at the forefront of the biotechnology of the 21st century. The workshop has been organized to bring together many of the leaders working in scientific disciplines that are either integral parts of the genome project or that represent important ancillary considerations. The aim is to provide a forum in which science writers, reporters and other interested individuals can gain a firsthand knowledge about the scope and direction of the human genome project and its supportive technologies. (ERA citation 13:022893)