Genomics: From Microbes to Man

Sir John Crawford Memorial Lecture delivered by J. Craig Venter, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Celera Genomics Corporation and founder and Chairman of the Board of The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR), during CGIAR International Centers Week 2000. Venter describes the development of new technologies and methods for rapidly characterizing and sequencing genomes. He refers to collaboration between TIGR and ILRI on the sequencing of the genome of Theileria parva, the tick-born parasite that causes East Coast Fever, as a step toward development of a vaccine. More generally, he discusses the significance of comparing genes across species, and the potential applications of this knowledge in developing vaccines and predicting individual susceptibility to specific diseases.