Human Genome Project Deadline Moves Up Two Years, to 2003

GENOME SYMBOL: DNA strands form the basis of a graphic symbol of the genome project. They said it wasn't a race. When a private venture announced plans in May to produce a version of the human genome four years ahead of the international nonprofit Human Genome Project's deadline, scientists associated with the public project insisted that the private effort wasn't really a challenge to theirs. The private effort would present, at best, a "rough draft" with many holes--if it worked at all, they

Written byPaul Smaglik

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GENOME SYMBOL: DNA strands form the basis of a graphic symbol of the genome project.

They said it wasn't a race. When a private venture announced plans in May to produce a version of the human genome four years ahead of the international nonprofit Human Genome Project's deadline, scientists associated with the public project insisted that the private effort wasn't really a challenge to theirs. The private effort would present, at best, a "rough draft" with many holes--if it worked at all, they argued [P. Smaglik, The Scientist, 12[12]:1, June 8, 1998].

Now, however, leaders of the public project have responded by announcing that the international effort will produce its own "working draft" of the human genome sequence by the end of 2001--roughly the same deadline for the project sponsored by the company now known as Celera Inc., a Rockville, Md.-based business formed by J. Craig Venter, former director of ...

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