Human Genome Project

The files in this sub-section relate to the Human Genome Project (HGP) and concern: Sulston's sequencing proposals to the Wellcome Trust and MRC; sequencing work and co-ordination of the HGP; the sequencing strategy; HGP meetings; public relations and papers surrounding the release of the human genome sequence, including media coverage.

May 1987-July 2010

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The Human Genome Project was a international public effort to sequence the human genome and release the data freely into the public domain. From the mid-1980s scientists had been thinking about human genome sequencing and small projects were gradually being undertaken as technology improved to make genome sequencing viable. In 1992 John Sulston submitted a funding application to the Wellcome Trust and Medical Research Council (MRC) to finish the C. elegans genome sequence as well as sequence part of the human genome. In 1994 Sulston's collaborator Robert (Bob) Waterston sent him a proposed strategy for accelerating production and sequencing the entire human genome in a much shorter timescale. The work would be split three ways between Waterston's laboratory, the Sanger Centre and other partner laboratories. Consequently Sulston submitted a new funding application to the Wellcome Trust and MRC for seven-year funding to produce the finished human genome sequence in collaboration with others.

In 1996 the first International Strategy Meeting in Bermuda was held. It was open to those with serious intentions and funding to undertake genome sequencing and it resulted in the formation of the Bermuda Principles. These stated that all sequence data would be immediately released into the public domain and made freely available. One of the attendees at the International Strategy Meeting was Craig Venter, who in 1998 announced the formation of a privately funded commercial sequencing company that would sequence the human genome in its entirety in three years. This company was Celera Genomics and Venter's announcement contributed to the Wellcome Trust's decision to increase Sanger Centre funding, allowing it to contribute a third of the human genome sequence to the public Human Genome Project.

In 1999 the G5, the heads of the five biggest sequencing operations in the public consortium, agreed to accelerate sequencing production and release unfinished sequence quickly, followed by fully-finished data at a later date. Later that year attempts were made by American members of the Human Genome Project to negotiate a partnership with Celera to finish and release the genome sequence. However negotiations broke down over the issues of data release and database control.

On 26 June 2000 the American President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair participated in a joint press conference in which they announced that complete human genome sequence drafts had been finished by both the Human Genome Project and Celera. There then followed a joint press conference on 12 February 2001 between the Human Genome Project and Celera to announce the publication of their sequence papers published in Nature and Science respectively. A final version of the Human Genome Project sequence was then announced in April 2003.