April 24, 2000
Health Monitor

Genetic mysteries

A breakthrough in the decoding race is challenged

When will the dawn break on the heralded new age of powerful genetically based medical treatments? That answer remains far from clear amid a public disagreement between rivals in the race to find the means for that radical revolution in health care. A U.S. company, Celera Genomics of Rockville, Md., saw its share price soar in early April when it proclaimed itself the first to complete the "gene sequencing plan" of a human being. That, experts explained, was the equivalent of finding all the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle within a three-billion-unit code representing the human genetic endowment, or genome. The company was giving itself six to eight weeks, said Celera president J. Craig Venter, to put them in their proper order. With that, Celera appeared to have passed a basic hurdle in the quest to use genetic information to design a new family of drugs to target the causes of diseases.

But last week, a publicly funded global consortium in the same race to map the genetic code rejected Celera's claim. "There were a couple of unfortunate quotes that implied that they had sequenced the whole human genome," said Dr. Francis Collins, who heads the U.S. component of the Human Genome Organization, "but that's just not true." In Vancouver for a genome conference, Collins insisted that in the sequencing project, "there is not going to be a finish line for any group for at least the next couple of years." The dispute may hinge on different ideas of what constitutes a first draft, rather than a final version of the human genetic blueprint. Celera issued no follow-up statement as its share price dropped back to its level at the beginning of April.

While about 1,000 scientists shared information about genetic discoveries, Vancouver futurist Frank Ogden joined the continuing debate over the possibility of owning genetic information. As companies move to patent some genes, Ogden announced he has formally filed an application to have his own DNA trademarked in an effort, he said, to protect himself and his identity. Ogden said he was responding to scientists from many countries who are using research information from thousands of people for their own gain without compensating their subjects. Scientists at the conference also called on governments to enact laws protecting people from discrimination by employers or insurance companies if they are found to carry genes that make them susceptible to diseases such as cancer.