Hutch has role in genome draft

Science Article

The publication of the draft sequence of the human genome, described this week in a series of papers in Nature and Science, involved scientists from around the world, including the Hutchinson Center.

Dr. Barbara Trask, director of the Hutch Human Biology Division and a co-author on two of the Nature papers, is a member of the BAC Resource Consortium, which analyzed cloned pieces of DNA (called Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes) used as building blocks to map and sequence the human genome.

BAC clones make it easier to link chromosomal abnormalities, which can be seen under the microscope, with corresponding segments of sequenced DNA.

"This resource, available for the first time in the public's hands, should greatly facilitate identification of the genes involved in human diseases such as cancer," Trask said.

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