Media Center

17-Dec-2020
Collaborator Release

Scientists set a path for field trials of gene drive organisms

As genetically engineered organisms ramp up, a multidisciplinary coalition offers a framework for ethical, socially engaged and transparent field practices

20-Nov-2020
News Alert

JCVI President Karen Nelson, Ph.D., Recognized as Global Scientific Pioneer on Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researcher 2020 List

27-Oct-2020
Collaborator Release

Study reveals mouth as primary source of COVID-19 infection, spread

UNC-Chapel Hill, NIH identify sites in the oral cavity where coronavirus can take hold

15-Aug-2020
News Alert

Dr. J. Craig Venter Awarded the 2020 Edogawa NICHE Prize

18-Jun-2020
Press Release

Biology in Art: Genetic Detectives ID Microbes Suspected of Slowly Ruining Humanity’s Treasures

DNA science may help restore, preserve historic works, unmask counterfeits

The trait elite baseball hitters share with Leonardo da Vinci: A “quick eye” with higher “frames per second.” A function of training, genetics, or both?

26-May-2020
Press Release

Maintaining a Healthy Upper Respiratory Tract Microbiome May Help Prevent Secondary Infections in Influenza A Patients

An influenza-impacted upper respiratory tract microbiome may invite opportunistic bacterial pathogens

12-Mar-2020
Collaborator Release

LJI Scientists Identify Potential Targets for Immune Responses to Novel Coronavirus

The research, which includes comparative genomics analysis by JCVI scientists Yun Zhang and Richard Scheuermann, provides essential information about the human immune response to coronavirus infection that will guide the design and evaluation of diagnostics and vaccine candidates

03-Mar-2020
Collaborator Release

Presence of Staph Bacteria in Skin Microbiome Promotes Netherton Syndrome Inflammation

The research, which includes work by JCVI scientists Drishti Kaul and Christopher Dupont, provides one of the most detailed genomic descriptions to date of the skin microbiome

19-Feb-2020
Collaborator Release

Bacteria on the International Space Station no more dangerous than earthbound strains

Microbes that likely colonized the water dispenser before takeoff are still susceptible to antibiotics

18-Feb-2020
Press Release

Scientists Identify Genome-Wide Traits Associated with Microbial Growth Strategy and Ecosystem Nutrient Status

New Methods Developed May Shed Light on Evolution in the World’s Oceans

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Venter Institute Researchers Tackle the Growing Concern of Antibiotic Resistant Bacterial Infections with Genomic, Phage Approaches

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year in the United States two million people acquire antibiotic resistant bacterial infections that lead to 23,000 deaths. Antibiotic resistance affects people of all ages and seriously impacts the healthcare, veterinary,...

Infectious Disease

2019 Summer Internship Program

The 2019 Summer Internship Program which wrapped up in August was another rousing success at the J. Craig Venter Institute.  Faculty and staff in both the Rockville (MD) and La Jolla (CA) campuses mentored and trained  25 students (high school, undergraduate, and graduate students)...

Education

Diatoms Have Found a Way to Pirate Bacterial Iron Sources

In large regions of the world’s oceans, photosynthesis struggles to operate because a key ingredient is missing. Many of the proteins involved in harvesting energy from sunlight require iron atoms to function, but iron is hard to find in seawater. Most of the ocean is far removed from...

Environmental Sustainability

The JCVI Genomic Frontier Fund

As we complete our 26th year as a private genomic research institution, we are still just as excited as we were in the very beginning to be making new discoveries, potentially ones that will change our society for the better.  The knowledge gained from our study of DNA, or as Dr. Venter...

JCVI

New Sequencing Technologies Enable Better and Faster Understanding of the Human Microbiome

Humans have trillions of different species of microorganisms living inside and on the human body. These microbes colonize on the skin, gut, oral cavity, vagina, internal organs, and circulating fluids, and are called the human microbiome. The human microbiome plays profound roles in health...

Human Health Infectious Disease Microbiome Sequencing

Human Microbiome Research has Massive Potential for Health Applications

Thirteen years ago, a team led by J. Craig Venter Institute President, Karen Nelson, Ph.D., published the first major human microbiome study, radically changing the way we look at human health and the role the microbes that inhabit each of us play in disease.  This seminal publication...

Human Health Microbiome

Scientist Spotlight: Lauren Oldfield

Since high school, Lauren Oldfield, PhD found that science was her calling. It started with a love of reading encouraged by her mom and grandmother, both avid readers, and weekly trips to the public library. Books by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston were staples in her grandmother’s...

Infectious Disease Synthetic Biology

When Starved, Dangerous Oral Bacteria Hang On

J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) postdoctoral fellow, Jonathon Baker, PhD and a team of researchers from JCVI, University of Washington, the University of California, Los Angeles, and The Forsyth Institute recently published their findings from the first study to examine the ecological dynamics...

Infectious Disease Microbiome

No More Needles! Using Microbiome and Synthetic Biology Advances to Better Treat Type 1 Diabetes

Learn about exciting advances made by JCVI researchers Yo Suzuki and John Glass who are on a quest to better understand and treat Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Currently T1D is managed by injecting insulin to manage blood glucose levels. Drs. Suzuki and Glass want to change that by creating a...

Synthetic Biology

How to Bake a (Fungal) Turkey

From the kitchen of Stephanie Mounaud, Scientific Project Manager at JCVI Ingredients Media base (see media recipe) Agar Aspergillus terreus (multiple strains) Aspergillus niger Aspergillus fumigatus Aspergillus oryzae...

JCVI

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02-Apr-2025
The San Diego Union-Tribune

Scientist renowned for study of adolescent brains named president of J. Craig Venter Institute

Anders Dale says he will move roughly $10 million in NIH funding from UCSD to JCVI.
12-Dec-2024
The Scientist

Mirror Bacteria Research Poses Significant Risks, Dozens of Scientists Warn

Synthetic biologists make artificial cells, but one particular kind isn’t worth the risk.
28-Apr-2024
Chemical & Engineering News

Can CRISPR help stop African Swine Fever?

Gene editing could create a successful vaccine to protect against the viral disease that has killed close to 2 million pigs globally since 2021.
17-Jan-2024
Grow by Ginkgo

Getting Under the Skin

Amid an insulin crisis, one project aims to engineer microscopic insulin pumps out of a skin bacterium.
24-Oct-2023
Noema

Planet Microbe

There are more organisms in the sea, a vital producer of oxygen on Earth, than planets and stars in the universe.
29-Aug-2023
Vanity Fair

The Next Climate Change Calamity?: We’re Ruining the Microbiome, According to Human-Genome-Pioneer Craig Venter

In a new book (coauthored with Venter), a Vanity Fair contributor presents the oceanic evidence that human activity is altering the fabric of life on a microscopic scale.
21-Aug-2023
GEN

Lessons from the Minimal Cell

“Despite reducing the sequence space of possible trajectories, we conclude that streamlining does not constrain fitness evolution and diversification of populations over time. Genome minimization may even create opportunities for evolutionary exploitation of essential genes, which are commonly observed to evolve more slowly.”
09-Aug-2023
Quanta Magazine

Even Synthetic Life Forms With a Tiny Genome Can Evolve

By watching “minimal” cells regain the fitness they lost, researchers are testing whether a genome can be too simple to evolve.
15-May-2023
Science

Privacy concerns sparked by human DNA accidentally collected in studies of other species

Two research teams warn that human genomic “bycatch” can reveal private information

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Logos

The JCVI logo is presented in two formats: stacked and inline. Both are acceptable, with no preference towards either. Any use of the J. Craig Venter Institute logo or name must be cleared through the JCVI Marketing and Communications team. Please submit requests to info@jcvi.org.

To download, choose a version below, right-click, and select “save link as” or similar.

Images

Following are images of our facilities, research areas, and staff for use in news media, education, and noncommercial applications, given attribution noted with each image. If you require something that is not provided or would like to use the image in a commercial application please reach out to the JCVI Marketing and Communications team at info@jcvi.org.

Human Genome

The Diploid Genome Sequence of J. Craig Venter

gff2ps achieved another genome landmark to visualize the annotation of the first published human diploid genome, included as Poster S1 of “The Diploid Genome Sequence of J. Craig Venter” (Levy et al., PLoS Biology, 5(10):e254, 2007). Courtesy J.F. Abril / Computational Genomics Lab, Universitat de Barcelona (compgen.bio.ub.edu/Genome_Posters).

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Annotation of the Celera Human Genome Assembly

We have drawn the map of the Human Genome with gff2ps. 22 autosomic, X and Y chromosomes were displayed in a big poster appearing as Figure 1 of “The Sequence of the Human Genome” (Venter et al., Science, 291(5507):1304-1351, 2001). The single chromosome pictures can be accessed from here to visualize the web version of the “Annotation of the Celera Human Genome Assembly” poster. Courtesy J.F. Abril / Computational Genomics Lab, Universitat de Barcelona (compgen.bio.ub.edu/Genome_Posters).

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See more on the human genome.

Synthetic Cell

J. Craig Venter, Ph.D. and Hamilton O. Smith, M.D.

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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Hamilton O. Smith, M.D. and Clyde A. Hutchison III, Ph.D.

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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J. Craig Venter, Ph.D.

Credit: Brett Shipe / J. Craig Venter Institute

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Clyde A. Hutchison III, Ph.D.

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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John Glass, Ph.D.

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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Dan Gibson, Ph.D.

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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Carole Lartigue, Ph.D.

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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JCVI Synthetic Biology Team

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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Aggregated M. mycoides JCVI-syn1.0

Negatively stained transmission electron micrographs of aggregated M. mycoides JCVI-syn1.0. Cells using 1% uranyl acetate on pure carbon substrate visualized using JEOL 1200EX transmission electron microscope at 80 keV. Electron micrographs were provided by Tom Deerinck and Mark Ellisman of the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research at the University of California at San Diego.

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Dividing M. mycoides JCVI-syn1.0

Negatively stained transmission electron micrographs of dividing M. mycoides JCVI-syn1.0. Freshly fixed cells were stained using 1% uranyl acetate on pure carbon substrate visualized using JEOL 1200EX transmission electron microscope at 80 keV. Electron micrographs were provided by Tom Deerinck and Mark Ellisman of the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research at the University of California at San Diego.

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Scanning Electron Micrographs of M. mycoides JCVI-syn1

Scanning electron micrographs of M. mycoides JCVI-syn1. Samples were post-fixed in osmium tetroxide, dehydrated and critical point dried with CO2 , then visualized using a Hitachi SU6600 scanning electron microscope at 2.0 keV. Electron micrographs were provided by Tom Deerinck and Mark Ellisman of the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research at the University of California at San Diego.

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Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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The Assembly of a Synthetic M. mycoides Genome in Yeast

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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M. mycoides JCVI-syn 1.0 and WT M. mycoides

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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Creating Bacteria from Prokaryotic Genomes Engineered in Yeast

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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See more on the first self-replicating synthetic bacterial cell.

Minimal Cell

Minimal Cell — JCVI-syn3.0

Electron micrographs of clusters of JCVI-syn3.0 cells magnified about 15,000 times. This is the world’s first minimal bacterial cell. Its synthetic genome contains only 473 genes. Surprisingly, the functions of 149 of those genes are unknown. The images were made by Tom Deerinck and Mark Ellisman of the National Center for Imaging and Microscopy Research at the University of California at San Diego.

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Minimal Cell — JCVI-syn3.0

Electron micrographs of clusters of JCVI-syn3.0 cells magnified about 15,000 times. This is the world’s first minimal bacterial cell. Its synthetic genome contains only 473 genes. Surprisingly, the functions of 149 of those genes are unknown. The images were made by Tom Deerinck and Mark Ellisman of the National Center for Imaging and Microscopy Research at the University of California at San Diego.

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Minimal Cell — JCVI-syn3.0

Electron micrographs of clusters of JCVI-syn3.0 cells magnified about 15,000 times. This is the world’s first minimal bacterial cell. Its synthetic genome contains only 473 genes. Surprisingly, the functions of 149 of those genes are unknown. The images were made by Tom Deerinck and Mark Ellisman of the National Center for Imaging and Microscopy Research at the University of California at San Diego.

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See more on the first minimal synthetic bacterial cell.

Leadership

J. Craig Venter, Ph.D.

Credit: Brett Shipe / J. Craig Venter Institute

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Sanjay Vashee, Ph.D.

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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John Glass, Ph.D.

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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See more about JCVI leadership.

Scientists in the Lab

JCVI Scientists Working in Lab

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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JCVI Scientists Working in Lab

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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JCVI Scientists Working in Lab

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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JCVI Scientists Working in Lab

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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JCVI Scientists Working in Lab

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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JCVI Scientists Working in Lab

Credit: J. Craig Venter Institute

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JCVI La Jolla Lab (Exterior)

J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

North facade at dusk. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

South facade from soccer field. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

Northwest view. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

Northeast view of main entrance. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

East facing main entrance at dusk. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

East facing main entrance. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

Building main entrance. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

JCVI La Jolla north facade. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

JCVI La Jolla north facade detail. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

Rock garden in courtyard dusk. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

Rock garden in courtyard. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

Rock garden in courtyard. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

People at courtyard tables. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

2nd floor deck. © Tim Griffith.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

Looking west at dusk. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

First floor plaza looking south. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

East main entrance closeup. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

Stairs in courtyard. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

Detail of southwest corner. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

Sunset off 3rd floor deck. © Tim Griffith.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

From northwest at dusk. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla (building exterior)

Photovoltaics looking west towards ocean. Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

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Learn more about the JCVI La Jolla lab.

JCVI La Jolla Lab (Interior)

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