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At the Edge of Knowing
“
It all started here,” said Francis Collins,
director of the National Human Genome
Research Institute, speaking before a capacity
crowd at UCSC’s Human Genome Symposium
2001. In his keynote address, Collins recognized
the “absolutely critical role” of UCSC researchers in
assembling the genome sequence, as well as their
ongoing contributions to the
Human Genome Project. He noted,
“Without the computational work
of David Haussler and graduate
student Jim Kent, we would not have
seen the genome emerge in the way
I can tell you about here.”
Haussler is a professor of computer
science at UCSC, director of the
Center for Biomolecular Science and
Engineering (CBSE), and a leader
in the field of bioinformatics. Kent,
who developed the computer program
used to assemble the human genome
sequence, is a Ph.D. candidate in
“It all started here.”
UCSC’s Molecular, Cell, and
—Francis Collins, Director, National Developmental Biology Department.
Human Genome Research Institute, UCSC’s leadership began in 1985
speaking at UC Santa Cruz when Robert Sinsheimer, noted biologist
and then-chancellor of UCSC,
convened a select group of scientists to discuss a
radical proposition: Would it be possible to map the
complete DNA sequence of the human genome? As
the talks progressed, Sinsheimer later recalled, “the
mood of the participants swung from extreme skepticism
to confidence in the feasibility of the program.”
That gathering planted the seed for the Human
4
UCSC plays critical role
in the Human Genome Project
Genome Project, which completed a working draft
of the genome in June 2000—an achievement
that promises dramatic advances in the diagnosis
and treatment of disease. UCSC researchers are
now applying this information to groundbreaking
work applicable to human health.
At the UCSC Human Genome Symposium
2001, participants from the historic 1985 meeting
and other eminent scientists gathered to discuss
the future of this rapidly developing field,
summary results of which will be published soon.
Collins spoke at a public forum that featured a
panel discussion with Sinsheimer; Collins;
Eugene Myers, vice president of Celera Genomics;
and Mary-Claire King, professor of medicine
and genetics at the University of Washington.
Richard Harris of National Public Radio, a
UCSC graduate, served as moderator.
The symposium was the brainchild of UC
Santa Cruz Foundation trustee Arthur Graham,
a longtime campus benefactor and Sinsheimer’s
roommate at MIT. Says Graham: “The goal of the
symposium was to celebrate Bob Sinsheimer’s
vision and to commemorate UCSC’s primordial
role in the Human Genome Project.” Recognizing
a lifetime of achievement, UC President
Richard C. Atkinson presented Sinsheimer with
the UC Presidential Medal during the symposium.
UCSC’s latest assembly of the human genome
is available online at genome.ucsc.edu.
R For more information, contact Lynne Stoops,
Natural Sciences Development Office, (831) 459-4240;
lstoops@cats.ucsc.edu