Last updated: August 18, 2016
News Release Archive - 2005
News Release Archives
2005
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December
December 13: NIH Launches Comprehensive Effort to Explore Cancer Genomics
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) today launch The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), a comprehensive effort to accelerate our understanding of the molecular basis of cancer through the application of genome analysis technologies, especially large-scale genome sequencing.
December 7: Researchers Publish Dog Genome Sequence
An international team, led by researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, today announced the publication of the genome sequence of the dog. In the Dec. 8 issue of the journal Nature, the researchers present a detailed analysis of the dog genome and describe how the data offer the potential for improving the health of man and man's best friend.
November
November 17: 9/11 Panel Makes Recommendations for DNA-Based Identification After Mass Disasters
Only days after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the National Institutes of Justice (NIJ) convened a panel of experts from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other institutions, asking them to serve as an advisory panel to develop a process to identify victims using DNA collected at the site of the tragedy. Today, in an article published in the journal Science, the panel reports that DNA-based efforts led to the identification of more than one-quarter of those reported missing.
November 15: U.S. Surgeon General Urges Americans To Know Their Family Health History
Calling on all Americans to "know their family history," U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., unveils an updated version of a computerized tool designed to help families gather their health information, and praised Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston for joining in to expand the Surgeon General's Family Health Initiative.
October
October 26: International Consortium Completes Map Of Human Genetic Variation
The International HapMap Consortium today published a comprehensive catalog of human genetic variation, a landmark achievement that is already accelerating the search for genes involved in common diseases, such as asthma, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
October 17: NHGRI's Large-Scale Sequencing Research Network Sets Its Sights on Disease Targets
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces plans to devote a portion of its large-scale sequencing capacity to efforts aimed at identifying the genetic roots of specific diseases that have long eluded gene hunters.
October 5: Researchers to Gain Wider Access to Knockout Mice
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces contracts that will give researchers unprecedented access to two private collections of knockout mice, providing valuable models for the study of human disease and laying the groundwork for a public, genome-wide library of knockout mice.
September
September 6: Task Force Recommends Against Routine Testing for Genetic Risk of Breast or Ovarian Cancer in the General Population
Primary care physicians should not routinely refer all women for genetic counseling and DNA testing to detect the presence of specific BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations that may be associated with breast or ovarian cancers, according to a new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. However, if a woman has certain specific family history patterns that put her at risk for these gene mutations, her primary care physician should suggest counseling and possible DNA testing. This is the first time the Task Force has addressed the issue of genetic counseling and DNA-based genetic testing for any disease. These recommendations, along with a review of the supporting evidence, appeared in the September 6 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
August
August 31: New Genome Comparison Finds Chimps, Humans Very Similar at the DNA Level
The first comprehensive comparison of the genetic blueprints of humans and chimpanzees shows our closest living relatives share perfect identity with 96 percent of our DNA sequence.
August 29: Anti-Cancer Drugs May Hold Promise for Premature Aging Disorder
In a surprising development, a research team led by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), finds that a class of experimental anti-cancer drugs also shows promise in laboratory studies for treating a fatal genetic disorder that causes premature aging.
August 8: NHGRI Expands Effort to Revolutionize Sequencing Technologies
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces it has awarded grants totaling more than $32 million to advance the development of innovative sequencing technologies intended to reduce the cost of DNA sequencing and expand the use of genomics in biomedical research and health care.
July
July 21: Multi-Species Genome Comparison Sheds New Light On Evolutionary Processes, Cancer Mutations
An international team that includes researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), discovers that mammalian chromosomes have evolved by breaking at specific sites rather than randomly as long thought - and that many of the breakage hotspots are also involved in human cancer.
June
June 15: NIH Creates Nationwide Network of Molecular Libraries Screening Centers To Accelerate Study of Human Biology and Disease
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces it is awarding $88.9 million in grants to nine institutions over three years to establish a collaborative research network that will use high-tech screening methods to identify small molecules that can be used as research tools.
June 8: NHGRI Selects 13 New Targets For Large-Scale Sequencing Program
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces that the Large-Scale Sequencing Research Network will target 13 more organisms as part of its ongoing effort to produce genomic data that will expand biological knowledge and improve human health.
April
April 6: Scientists Analyze Chromosomes 2 and 4
A detailed analysis of chromosomes 2 and 4 detects the largest "gene deserts" known in the human genome and uncovered more evidence that human chromosome 2 arose from the fusion of two ancestral ape chromosomes, researchers supported by the National Human Genome Research Institute announce.
April 5: Students to Chat Online With Leading Genome Researchers For National DNA Day
On April 25, high school students across the country celebrate National DNA Day by tuning in to webcasts featuring cutting-edge genomic research and taking part in a live online discussion with researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute.
March
March 16: Studies Expand Understanding of X Chromosome
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) hails the first comprehensive analysis of the sequence of the human X chromosome, saying that this provides sweeping new insights into the evolution of sex chromosomes and the biological differences between males and females. The studies - a detailed analysis of the X chromosome?s DNA sequence and a survey of its gene activity - are published in the the journal Nature.
March 1: NHGRI Targets 12 More Organisms for Genome Sequencing
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health, announces that the Large-Scale Sequencing Research Network will begin sequencing 12 more strategically selected organisms, including the marmoset, a skate and several important insects, as part of its ongoing effort to expand understanding of the human genome.
February
February 22: Rapid, New Test Developed for Inherited Immune Deficiency
Researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), develop a new laboratory method that rapidly identifies babies born with inherited forms of severe immune deficiency. The new genetic test, which still must be validated before widespread use, could someday be added to the panel of tests that already screen newborns for a variety of disorders.
February 7: International HapMap Consortium Expands Mapping Effort
The International HapMap Consortium, boosted by an additional $3.3 million in public-private support, announces plans to create an even more powerful map of human genetic variation than originally envisioned. The map will accelerate the discovery of genes related to common diseases, such as asthma, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.