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Advances in genome research have come about through the efforts of a large number of investigators in the United States and abroad. The U.S. Human Genome Project is supported by NIH and DOE at 22 specialized human genome research centers and in many university, national, and private sector laboratories. At least 14 other countries now have programs for analyzing the genomes of a variety of organisms ranging from microbes to economically important plants and animals to humans. A remarkable spirit of cooperation has facilitated human genome research around the world. One purpose of the Human Genome Project is to provide new infrastructure, including data and material resources and technology that will improve the ability of investigators to do biological research rapidly, efficiently, and cost-effectively. To achieve this purpose, the accomplishments of genome researchers must be easily accessible. Guidelines describing reasonable sharing practices were developed by advisors to NIH and DOE in 1992, and the genome research community has responded admirably. Information sharing and services have been facilitated by the physics communitys gift of WWW protocols, which have greatly simplified data presentation and transfer across the Internet. Additionally, materials and reagents produced by genome research investigators have been made widely available, often through commercial sources. As the scientific community hoped, the genome infrastructure has rapidly accelerated the study of inherited human disease. A wide range of other genome-research applications also indicates that the promise of the genome project is being realized. In this issue, David Smith (DOE) and Francis Collins (NIH), Directors of the U.S. Human Genome Project, offer their perspectives on goals, benefits, and challenges of the project. Also included in this issue is a summary of research highlights. |
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