The Genome Project - Write (also known as GP-Write) is a large-scale collaborative research project (an extension of Genome Projects, aimed at reading genomes since 1984) that focuses on the development of technologies for the synthesis and testing of genomes of many different species of microbes, plants, and animals, including the human genome in a sub-project known as Human Genome Project-Write (HGP-Write).[1][2][3][4][5][6] Formally announced on 2 June 2016, the project leverages two decades of work on synthetic biology and artificial gene synthesis.

Since the Human Genome Project first sequenced the human genome from 1987 to 2004 at a cost of US$3 billion, costs have fallen precipitously, outpacing even Moore's law, and were ≈US$1,000 in 2015. More widely available genome sequencing has led to more data on variants of uncertain significance.

The newly created GP-Write project will be managed by the Center of Excellence for Engineering Biology,[7] an American nonprofit organization. Researchers expect that the ability to artificially synthesize large portions of many genomes will result in many scientific and medical advances.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Science & development

edit

In May 2021, GP-write and Twist Bioscience launched a new CAD platform for whole genome design. The GP-write CAD will automate workflows to enable collaborative efforts critical for scale-up from designing plasmids to megabases across entire genomes.[8]

Microbial Genome Projects - Write

edit

Technologies for constructing and testing yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs), synthetic yeast genomes (Sc2.0),[9] and virus/phage-resistant bacterial genomes have industrial, agricultural, and medical applications.[2]

Human Genome Project-Write

edit

A complete haploid copy of the human genome consists of at least three billion DNA nucleotide base pairs, which have been described in the Human Genome Project - Read program (95% completed as of 2004). Among the many goals of GP-Write are the making of cell lines resistant to all viruses and synthesis assembly lines to test variants of unknown significance that arise in research and diagnostic sequencing of human genomes (which has been exponentially improving in cost, quality, and interpretation).[2]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Pollack, Andrew (2 June 2016). "Scientists Announce HGP-Write, Project to Synthesize the Human Genome". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Boeke, JD, Church G, Hessel A, Kelley NJ, Arkin A, Cai Y, Carlson R, Chakravarti A, Cornish VW, Holt L, Isaacs FJ, Kuiken T, Lajoie M, Lessor T, Lunshof J, Maurano MT, Mitchell LA, Rine J, Rosser S, Sanjana NE, Silver PA, Valle D, Wang H, Way JC, Yang L; et al. (2 June 2016). "The Genome Project–Write". Science. 353 (6295): 126–127. Bibcode:2016Sci...353..126B. doi:10.1126/science.aaf6850. PMID 27256881. S2CID 206649424. Retrieved 2 June 2016.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b Callaway, Ewen (2 June 2016). "Plan to Synthesize Human Genome Triggers a Mixed Response". Scientific American. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  4. ^ a b Regalado, Antonio (2 June 2016). "Plan to Fabricate a Genome Raises Questions on Designer Humans". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  5. ^ a b Akst, Jef (2 June 2016). ""Human Genome Project-Write" Unveiled". The Scientist. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  6. ^ a b Opal, Puneet; Kini, Ameet (3 June 2016). "The Brave New World of the Synthetic Human Genome". Time. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Center of Excellence for Engineering Biology". Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  8. ^ "CAD Platform Developed by GP-Write and Twist to Launch Large Genome Projects". Genetic Engineering & Technology News. 12 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Synthetic yeast genomes (Sc2.0)". Retrieved 2 March 2017.

Further reading

edit
  • National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). NHGRI led the National Institutes of Health's contribution to the International Human Genome Project. This project, which had as its primary goal the sequencing of the three billion base pairs that make up human genome, was 95% complete in April 2004.