Tag: George Church

  • Health

    Volunteers unveil DNA, medical data in push for everyday gene sequencing

    The world moved a step deeper into the DNA age yesterday as 10 volunteers released their genetic and medical information on the Internet as part of a multi-year effort to make genetic data an everyday part of medical care. The effort was headed by Harvard Medical School’s George Church, professor of genetics and head of…

    3–5 minutes
  • Science & Tech

    NHGRI/NIH awards team $6.5M to advance DNA sequencing using Nanopores

    The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), awarded a $6.5 (over 4 years) grant to a team of Harvard University researchers to further develop electronic sequencing in nanopores. The grant is part of more than $20 million in total funding given by NHGRI/NIH to spur innovative sequencing…

    2–3 minutes
  • Science & Tech

    J. Craig Venter named visiting scholar

    J. Craig Venter, the visionary biologist and intellectual entrepreneur who was a leading figure in the decoding of the human genome, will join Harvard University as a visiting scholar at the University’s Origins of Life Initiative. Venter, who left his last academic post in 1982, is founder and president of the J. Craig Venter Institute.…

    4–6 minutes
  • Campus & Community

    Bulyk searches for DNA on-off switches

    Martha Bulyk held what looked like an ordinary glass slide up to the large window that is much of one wall of her Harvard Medical School office. The slide seemed to be blank, but a puff of breath exposed row after row of tiny dots, appearing like the hidden writing of a secret message. But…

    2–3 minutes
  • Campus & Community

    Researchers devise cheaper way to make genes

    Harvard researchers have devised a way to greatly decrease the cost of making artificial genes in the laboratory, an advance that could increase the ability of geneticists to explore and test new theories about the building blocks of life. Harvard Genetics Professor George Church said that after years of technological advances, gene synthesis – or…

    1–2 minutes
  • Science & Tech

    Putting bacteria to work

    A nautical group of bacteria known as Prochlorococcus removes carbon dioxide from air and fixes it into the carbon content of their own tiny bodies. The more carbon dioxide they take from the air, the less is available to capture the heat that is causing the warm-up of our planet. That adds up to a…

    1–2 minutes
  • Health

    Technique enables quick accounting of gene function

    Now that whole genomes have been sequenced, a group of scientists has geared up for the next phase: identification and classification of newly discovered coding regions. The DNA microchip, developed just a few years ago, has already become a standard tool in the geneticist’s repertoire. With genomic sequence in hand, the researcher can synthesize all…

    1–2 minutes
  • Health

    In human genome race, competition spurred better science

    The conflicts between the two teams — one publicly funded, one private — that raced to sequence the human genome often drew more attention than the actual completion of the project itself. A team of Harvard researchers found that the rivalry spurred and improved a potentially sluggish public project. And an important consequence of the…

    1–2 minutes