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JCVI La Jolla: Sustainable Laboratory Facility
A Seamless Integration of Scientific Vision, Purpose and Technology JCVI’s commitment to environmental stewardship inspired the design and construction of our West Coast home: a unique, LEED Platinum biological laboratory building that generates almost all of the energy it consumes from the solar panels on its roof. Located on the campus of the UC San Diego, JCVI La Jolla contains some of the most innovative water and energy-efficient systems available, and, most importantly, is...
Human gene essentiality.
A gene can be defined as essential when loss of its function compromises viability of the individual (for example, embryonic lethality) or results in profound loss of fitness. At the population level, identification of essential genes is accomplished by observing intolerance to loss-of-function variants. Several computational methods are available to score gene essentiality, and recent progress has been made in defining essentiality in the non-coding genome. Haploinsufficiency is emerging...
The human noncoding genome defined by genetic diversity.
Understanding the significance of genetic variants in the noncoding genome is emerging as the next challenge in human genomics. We used the power of 11,257 whole-genome sequences and 16,384 heptamers (7-nt motifs) to build a map of sequence constraint for the human species. This build differed substantially from traditional maps of interspecies conservation and identified regulatory elements among the most constrained regions of the genome. Using new Hi-C experimental data, we describe a...
Unlocking the Mysteries of the Microbiome
In the early 2000s, JCVI researchers pioneered in the exploration of the human microbiome, the community of microbes that live in and on the human body. Originally while at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR, now part of JCVI) Drs. Craig Venter and Hamilton Smith were awarded a grant from DARPA to examine the microbes found in the human gut. This work was carried out by researchers at JCVI and published in 2006 in Science. While this team had previously published 16S surveys of the...
Having Fun with Genomics
I am the generation after landing on the moon. As a child, I don’t recall having any science inspiration. I was fortunate to have parents that made it possible for me and my siblings to get a very good education. I went to a small parochial school outside of Washington, DC. It was a great school but we had no labs and so my exposure to science was limited at best. I always liked school and did well, especially in math. Then I went to Elizabeth Seton High School and had a bumpy...
Heading to the Mother Land — Sweden
After transiting through the Kiel Canal, the waterway that links the North Sea to the Baltic Sea, and welcoming Dr. Venter in a rainy Copenhagen, we embarked for Sweden, my home and one of the main destinations of our 2009 expedition. It was a proud and special moment for me when first mate, John, hoisted the Swedish courtesy flag. Unfortunately, the weather has not been cooperating and was putting a damper on the excitement. My friends and family in Stockholm tell me it has been the...
Guest Speakers Marlo Gottfurcht Longstreet and Dean Ornish Inspire Guests at JCVI‘s “Life at the Speed of Light” Gala
On October 18, J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) hosted our “Life at the Speed of Light” black tie gala featuring special guests Dean Ornish, MD, and Marlo Gottfurcht Longstreet. JCVI welcomed 200 community leaders, sponsors and supporters including Representative Scott Peters, Susan Taylor, Reena Horowitz, Linda Chester, Jack McGrory, Jessie Knight, Jr., Joye Blount, Wendy Walker, Randy Woods, Andrew and Erna Viterbi, Mary Ann Beyster, and JCVI Board Member Bill Walton and...
Prebys Introduces 2024 Grant Funding to Enhance Career Opportunities for Youth Across San Diego County
Background In 2023, The Conrad Prebys Foundation unveiled a strategic plan dedicated to enhancing community well-being by fostering purpose, opportunity, and belonging for every resident. This plan was shaped by over a hundred interviews and an extensive listening tour across the county. The Foundation invests in visual and performing arts, medical research, health care, and youth success, envisioning a future where San Diego County youth have their basic needs met while pursuing...
Clyde A. Hutchison III named as one of Caltech's Distinguished Alumni Awardees for 2012
Clyde Hutchison is Distinguished Investigator in the Synthetic Biology Group headed by Hamilton Smith at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) in San Diego. He received his BS from Yale in 1960 and his PhD in 1968 from Caltech, where he studied with Robert L. Sinsheimer. From 1968 to 2005, he was on the faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he collaborated with Marshall Edgell on early applications of restriction enzymes. While on sabbatical in Fred Sanger’s lab during 1975–1976, he...
Towards the $1,000 Genome: "Hot Topic" Added to TIGR Genome Conference
September 23, 2002 Rockville, MD - September 23, 2002 -- The potential for new genome sequencing technologies will be the focus of a newly added "hot topic" panel discussion - "The Future of Sequencing: Advancing Towards the $1,000 Genome" - that will be part of the opening plenary session of the 14th International Genome Sequencing and Analysis Conference (GSAC 14), to be held in Boston from October 2-5, 2002. The panel will explore new DNA sequencing technologies that have the...