The Human Genome Project at 20: interview with Ewan Birney
Lab Matters, Perspectives On the 20th anniversary of the Human Genome Project, we look back at its history, wonder and potential.
2023
lab-mattersperspectives
Welcome: Thomas Quail
Lab Matters New group leader Thomas Quail studies the fundamental processes that determine how proteins organise the genome inside a cell.
2023
lab-matters
Studying epigenetic regulation at the single-molecule level
Science In a first-of-its-kind study, EMBL researchers have shown how DNA methylation across the genome contributes to the precise regulation of gene expression.
2023
science
Uncharted territories in the human genome
Research highlights, Science Scientists identify previously unexplored gene segments to be added to human genome databases.
2022
research-highlightsscience
Royal Society honour for Eileen Furlong
Lab Matters EMBL’s Head of Genome Biology announced as Fellow of the Royal Society for her exceptional contributions to science.
2022
lab-matters
Flip-flop genome
Science Researchers at EMBL Heidelberg found that inversions in the human genome are more common than previously thought, which impacts our understanding of certain genetic diseases.
2022
science
Understanding genomes, piece by piece
Science Genomes are made up of thousands of individual pieces – genes – which are expressed at different levels. Researchers at EMBL have shed light on how the placement of a gene affects its expression, as well as that of its neighbours.
2022
science
New genetic data policy must promote biodiversity conservation
Announcements, Science Scientists urge the adoption of a sensible international policy for digital sequence information.
2022
announcementsscience
The Earth Biogenome Project: on track and ready to ramp up
Announcements, Science On track to reach an ambitious goal of 3,000 genomes sequenced by the end of 2022, what’s next for the Earth Biogenome Project?
2022
announcementsscience
Darwin Tree of Life in 2021: tireless fieldwork and the first beautiful genomes
Science A look back at some of the 2021 highlights from the Darwin Tree of Life partner institutes.
2021
science
Piecing together the best reference genome
Science Researchers reveal the best technology for assembling reference genomes.
2021
science
Human genomes provide new reference for global genetic diversity
Science A collaboration including EMBL scientists has created the most diverse set of reference human genomes ever assembled.
2021
science
The curious genome of the tuatara, an ancient reptile in peril
Science A global team of researchers including the Flicek Team at EMBL-EBI has partnered up with the Māori tribe Ngātiwai to sequence the genome of the tuatara, a rare reptile endemic to New Zealand.
2020
science
Bagpipe and Pokemon, or how not to name a human gene
Science The human genome harbours about 19 000 protein-coding genes, many of which still have no known function. As scientists unveil the secrets of our DNA, they come across novel genes that they need to refer to using a unique name. The Human Genome Organisation’s Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) at…
2020
science
EMBL boosts national and international sharing of genomic data
Lab Matters A national consortium including EMBL and the DKFZ is set to launch the German Human Genome–Phenome Archive, creating an invaluable bridge between fundamental biomedical research and applied healthcare.
2020
lab-matters
The Pan-Cancer project
Science EMBL co-leads most comprehensive study of genetic causes of cancer
2020
science
Protecting data in the cloud
Science Cloud computing offers unprecedented opportunities for global-scale research collaborations. It also presents a unique set of challenges in terms of data protection and the ethics of data sharing.
2020
science
Characterising RNA alterations in cancer
Science The largest and most comprehensive catalogue of cancer-specific RNA alterations reveals new insights into the cancer genome.
2020
science
Cancer mutations occur decades before diagnosis
Science Researchers at EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and the Francis Crick Institute have analysed the whole genomes of over 2600 tumours from 38 different cancer types to determine the chronology of genomic changes during cancer development.
2020
science
Studying DNA rearrangement to understand cancer
Science Using the dataset from the Pan-Cancer project, scientists has developed methods to group, classify, and describe large rearrangements of the genome that are a key driver of cancer.
2020
science
Scientists identify new genetic drivers of cancer
Science Analysis of whole cancer genomes gives key insights into the role of the non-coding genome in cancer
2020
science
Chromothripsis in human cancer
Science Researchers at Harvard Medical School and EMBL-EBI have carried out the largest analysis across cancer types of the newly discovered mutational phenomenon chromothripsis.
2020
science
Finding genetic cancer risks
Science Using the data from the Pan-Cancer project EMBL scientists describe how our genetic background influences cancer development.
2020
science
Editing the ethical code
Events Professor Tim Lewens challenges the human genome’s unique place in bioethics
2019
events
Catalogue of structural variants
Science Thorough characterisation of structural variants in human genomes
2019
science
Prioritising cancer drug targets using CRISPR
Science Large CRISPR screen prioritises hundreds of promising genes for personalised cancer treatment
2019
science
Almost 2000 unknown gut bacteria discovered
Science Researchers identify novel gut bacteria species and call for more data from beyond Europe and North America
2019
science
Deleting genes to study how germ cells are born
Science How embryonic stem cells develop into the germ line
2018
science
Transcription factors controlled by DNA sequence
Science EMBL scientists gain mechanistic insights into how cellular signalling controls gene regulation
2018
science
Parental chromosomes kept apart during first division
Science Mammalian life begins differently than we thought
2018
science
Havoc in biology’s most-used human cell line
Science HeLa cells are the world’s most commonly used human cell lines, and have served as a standard for understanding many fundamental biological processes. In a study published today in G3: Genes, Genomes and Genetics online, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in…
2013
science
The mutation police
Science Scientists at the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in the UK have discovered how our genome keeps the effects of mutations in check. The discovery, published in the journal Cell, will help in the study of diseases such as cancer and…
2013
science
Spot the difference
Science In a nutshell: 1st map combining human genetic variation at different scales – from single letters to large chunks Based on genomes of 1092 healthy people from Europe, the Americas and East Asia Could help identify genetic causes of disease, rather than just links Data made freely available in…
2012
science
A matter of priorities
Science Just as banks store away only the most valuable possessions in the most secure safes, cells prioritise which genes they guard most closely, researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) have found. The study, published online today…
2012
science
A hot species for cool structures
Science A fungus that lives at extremely high temperatures could help understand structures within our own cells. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and Heidelberg University, both in Heidelberg, Germany, were the first to sequence and analyse the genome of a heat-loving fungus,…
2011
science
The human genome’s breaking points
Science A detailed analysis of data from 185 human genomes sequenced in the course of the 1000 Genomes Project, by scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, in collaboration with researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK, as well as the…
2011
science
Movies for the human genome
Science Name a human gene, and you’ll find a movie online showing you what happens to cells when it is switched off. This is the resource that researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, and their collaborators in the Mitocheck consortium are making freely…
2010
science
Raising the alarm when DNA goes bad
Science Our genome is constantly under attack from things like UV light and toxins, which can damage or even break DNA strands and ultimately lead to cancer and other diseases. Scientists have known for a long time that when DNA is damaged, a key enzyme sets off a cellular ‘alarm bell’ to alert the…
2009
science
Researchers establish international human microbiome consortium
Lab Matters Today at a meeting organised by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, scientists from around the globe announced the formation of the International Human Microbiome Consortium (IHMC), an effort that will enable researchers to characterise the relationship of the…
2008
lab-matters
Open access to large-scale drug discovery data
Lab Matters The Wellcome Trust has awarded £4.7 million (€5.8 million) to EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) to support the transfer of a large collection of information on the properties and activities of drugs and a large set of drug-like small molecules from the publicly listed…
2008
lab-matters
Platypus genome sequence published
Science UK-based researchers at the Medical Research Council Functional Genomics Unit in Oxford and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge have revealed the genetic makeup of the one of the world’s strangest mammals. They have analysed the DNA…
2008
science
International consortium announces the 1000 Genomes Project
Lab Matters Drawing on the expertise of multi-disciplinary research teams, the map developed by the 1000 Genomes Project will provide a view of biomedically relevant DNA variations at a resolution unmatched by current resources. The European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), working with long-term collaborator…
2008
lab-matters
New findings challenge established views about human genome
Science The ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE), an international research consortium organised by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today published the results of its exhaustive, four-year effort to build a “parts list” of…
2007
science
The closest look ever at the cell’s machines
Science Today researchers in Germany announce they have finished the first complete analysis of the “molecular machines” in one of biology’s most important model organisms: S. cerevisiae (baker’s yeast). The study from the biotechnology company Cellzome, in collaboration with the…
2006
science
Public collections of DNA and RNA sequence reach 100 gigabases
Lab Matters The world’s three leading public repositories for DNA and RNA sequence information have reached 100 gigabases (100,000,000,000 bases; the ‘letters’ of the genetic code) of sequence. Thanks to their data exchange policy, which has paved the way for the global exchange of many types…
2005
lab-matters
Hunt for human genes involved in cell division under way
Lab Matters A systematic search through human genes has begun at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany. Working within the MitoCheck consortium that includes 10 other institutes throughout Europe, the EMBL scientists will silence all human genes, one-by-one, to find those…
2005
lab-matters
Whale bones and farm soil: Sequencing biodiversity
Science Instead of sequencing the genome of one organism, why not sequence a drop of sea water, a gram of farm soil or even a sunken whale skeleton? Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg and their US collaborators have done just that, and the result is a new…
2005
science
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