Genetic project launched

E-mail | Print | Comments () Posted by Karen Weintraub January 22, 2008 12:28 PM

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From one to 10 to 1,000: Genetic scientists today unveiled an ambitious project to sequence the genomes of at least 1,000 people from across the globe.

Dr. David Altshuler of Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute in Cambridge will co-chair the international consortium running the project, the National Institutes of Health announced.

The project underscores how quickly genome-sequencing technology is advancing. In 2006, it was big news when even one person’s genome was sequenced. Last year, Harvard’s George Church won headlines with his plan to sequence – and publish – the genomes of 10 people. That data is expected to come out soon.

Now, the thousand-genome project aims to turn up medically useful genetic information by providing the most detailed and comprehensive look yet at the genetic variations among humans.

At its peak, it is expected to generate data equivalent to sequencing two human genomes per day. Its projected costs: between $30 and $50 million.

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White Coat Notes covers the latest from the health care industry, hospitals, doctors offices, labs, insurers, and the corridors of government. Chelsea Conaboy previously covered health care for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Write her at cconaboy@boston.com. Follow her on Twitter: @cconaboy.

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