August 25, 2001 Top scientists gather at UCSC to weigh future of human genome research By Tim Stephens Chancellor Emeritus Robert L. Sinsheimer received the UC Presidential Medal during a symposium dinner on Saturday. (see story) Research on the human genome and its implications for the future of medicine and society took center stage Friday and Saturday, August 25-26, as scientists from around the world conferred at UCSC. Human Genome Symposium events included a scientific workshop on Friday and a public forum on Saturday which included a panel discussion and a keynote address by Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Project. Public interest in the free forum was strong, with all tickets claimed well before the event at UCSC's Music Recital Hall and an overflow site nearby. Many of those unable to attend in person participated via a live webcast of the forum. The forum will also be broadcast later on C-SPAN. Check the C-SPAN website for scheduling information. Panelists at the forum included Collins, UCSC Chancellor emeritus Robert L. Sinsheimer; Eugene Myers, vice president of informatics research at Celera Genomics; and Mary-Claire King, professor of medicine and genetics at the University of Washington. National Public Radio science reporter Richard Harris, a UCSC graduate, served as moderator. A special art exhibit, Genomic Art: Portrait of the 21st Century, is also being held in conjunction with the Human Genome Symposium. The exhibit is on display at the Baskin Visual Arts Center through August 27. In May 1985, a group of eminent biologists gathered at UCSC to discuss a radical proposal put forth by Sinsheimer, a prominent molecular biologist and then chancellor of the UCSC campus. His idea was to launch a massive project to determine the complete DNA sequence of the human genome. It would be five years before the Human Genome Project was officially launched, and ten more before project leaders announced with great fanfare the completion of a working draft of the human genome sequence. On Friday, many of the participants in the historic 1985 meeting gathered again at UCSC along with other eminent scientists to discuss future directions for research on the human genome, now that the sequence is in hand. The human genome sequence--spelled out in 3.2 billion units of DNA strung together on chromosomes--represents the complete genetic instructions for human life. Deciphering the genome has sparked a revolution in biomedical research, raising hopes for dramatic improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. The genomics revolution also includes research on a broad range of organisms and promises to yield new insights into the biology and diversity of all forms of life. Major challenges lie ahead, however, as researchers seek to apply the knowledge gained from recent advances in genomics. Key scientific goals include the mapping of human variation; identifying and validating the complete set of human genes; and understanding the diversity of life through genomic analysis of many organisms. Other concerns relate to how the use of genetic information and technology will affect society. From the beginning, the publicly funded Human Genome Project has made every effort to inform the public about its work and to address not only the scientific issues but also the social and ethical issues raised by the project. In the public forum, panelists will address the ethical, legal, and privacy issues associated with genome research, as well as its anticipated benefits in medicine and other areas. Although the bulk of the work on the Human Genome Project has been performed elsewhere, researchers at UCSC played a crucial role in assembling the genome sequence, and they continue to have a major role in the ongoing analysis of the human genome. UCSC's participation in the project is led by David Haussler, professor of computer science at UCSC and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. UCSC was the first site to post the assembled human genome sequence on the web, distributing it freely without any restrictions on use. The UCSC webservers currently process more than 50,000 requests for information each day from biomedical researchers worldwide who want to explore the assembled genome sequence. Haussler and other UCSC researchers continue to work on the analysis of the human genome sequence and the ongoing task of filling in gaps and updating the assembled sequence as new data become available. Their work includes comparing the human genome to the genomes of other organisms to better understand how DNA orchestrates the activities within our living cells. Return to Front Page