Genomics Expert Venter to Present 2006 Eberly Family Distinguished Lecture in Science on 28 April

18 April 2006—Genomics expert J. Craig Venter, president of the J. Craig Venter Institute and founder of The Institute of Genomics Research, will present the Eberly Family Distinguished Lecture in Science on 28 April 2006 at 3:30 p.m. in 100 Thomas Building on the University Park campus. This free public lecture, titled "Genomics: From Medicine to the Environment," is sponsored by the Eberly College of Science.

Venter has made many significant contributions to genomic research. He has developed methods for decoding genetic sequences, such as expressed-sequence tags (ESTs) and bioinformatic techniques, that provide a foundation for understanding the relationships between species and the biology of microbes. He is known for the "shotgun sequencing" technique, a method of accelerated gene sequencing that has become a central component of all whole-genome-sequencing strategies. In the early 1990s, he and his team at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) used this technique to decode the first genome of a free-living organism-the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae.

In 1998, with the Perkin-Elmer Corporation, Venter founded Celera Genomics to sequence a private copy of the human genome. Using the whole-genome shotgun technique, in combination with new mathematical algorithms and automated-DNA-sequencing machines, Celera researchers were able to complete the task in just two years. The successful completion of this research resulted in the publication of the human genome in the 16 February 2001 issue of the journal, Science. In addition to the human genome, Venter and his team at Celera successfully sequenced the fruit fly, mouse, and rat genomes.

Venter and his team recently have published several important papers outlining advances in genomics research, including environmental-genomics advances resulting from the characterization of more than one million new genes discovered using the whole-genome shotgun-sequencing technique on large populations of microbes collected from samples of seawater from the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda. They also have outlined advances in synthetic biology as a result of their development of a synthetic version of the virus PhiX-174-a first step toward the goal of creating a synthetic bacterium from the ground up, using genes as building blocks.

Venter's work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2002 Gairdner Foundation International Award and the 2001 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize. He is the author of more than 200 research articles and is among the most cited scientists in the fields of biology and medicine. He is a member of several scientific organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Society for Microbiology.

Venter began his academic career after serving a tour a duty as a Navy Corpsman in Danang, Vietnam, from 1967 to 1968. He earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 1972 and a doctoral degree in physiology and pharmacology in 1975, both at the University of California at San Diego. He served on the faculty of the State University of New York at Buffalo until 1984. He worked at the National Institutes of Health as a section chief, and later lab chief, in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke from 1984 to 1992.

In 1992, Venter founded The Institute of Genomic Research (TIGR), where he still serves as chairman of the board of directors. Venter also is president of the J. Craig Venter Institute-a non-profit research institute devoted to advancing the science of genomics; understanding the implications of genomics-research on society; and communicating research results to the scientific community, the public, and policy makers. He is the founder of the J. Craig Venter Science Foundation, a non-profit research and support organization dedicated to the exploration of social and ethical issues in genomics-particularly human genomic research-and to seeking alternative-energy solutions developed through microbial-genetics research. In 2005, Venter co-founded Synthetic Genomics Inc., a firm dedicated to using modified microorganisms to produce ethanol and hydrogen as alternative fuels.

For more information about the lecture, contact the Eberly College of Science Office of Alumni Relations and Development at 863-4683 or 1-800-297-1429.

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