J. Craig Venter Institute
Encyclopedia
The J. Craig Venter Institute is a non-profit
genomics
research
institute founded by J. Craig Venter
, Ph.D.
in October 2006. (Venter first announced the existence of the Institute on 29 September 2004.) The Institute was the result of consolidating four organizations: the Center for the Advancement of Genomics
, The Institute for Genomic Research
, the Institute for Biological Energy Alternatives, and the J. Craig Venter Science Foundation Joint Technology Center. It has facilities in Rockville, Maryland
and La Jolla, California.
The Institute studies the societal
implications of genomics in addition to genomics itself. The Institute's research is said to involve genomic medicine; environmental genomic analysis; clean energy; synthetic biology
; and ethics
, law
, and economics
. The Institute employs over 400 people, including Nobel laureate Hamilton Smith
.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
genomics
Genomics
Genomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...
research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
institute founded by J. Craig Venter
Craig Venter
John Craig Venter is an American biologist and entrepreneur, most famous for his role in being one of the first to sequence the human genome and for his role in creating the first cell with a synthetic genome in 2010. Venter founded Celera Genomics, The Institute for Genomic Research and the J...
, Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in October 2006. (Venter first announced the existence of the Institute on 29 September 2004.) The Institute was the result of consolidating four organizations: the Center for the Advancement of Genomics
Center for the Advancement of Genomics
The Center for the Advancement of Genomics was a not-for-profit policy center in Rockville, Maryland. It studied social and ethical issues surrounding genomic science. It was dedicated to education of the general public, elected officials, and students.TCAG was founded in 2002 by Craig Venter...
, The Institute for Genomic Research
The Institute for Genomic Research
The Institute for Genomic Research was a non-profit genomics research institute founded in 1992 by Craig Venter in Rockville, Maryland, United States. It is now a part of the J. Craig Venter Institute.-History:...
, the Institute for Biological Energy Alternatives, and the J. Craig Venter Science Foundation Joint Technology Center. It has facilities in Rockville, Maryland
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
and La Jolla, California.
The Institute studies the societal
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
implications of genomics in addition to genomics itself. The Institute's research is said to involve genomic medicine; environmental genomic analysis; clean energy; synthetic biology
Synthetic biology
Synthetic biology is a new area of biological research that combines science and engineering. It encompasses a variety of different approaches, methodologies, and disciplines with a variety of definitions...
; and ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
, law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. The Institute employs over 400 people, including Nobel laureate Hamilton Smith
Hamilton O. Smith
Hamilton Othanel Smith is an American microbiologist and Nobel laureate.Smith was born on August 23, 1931, and graduated from University Laboratory High School of Urbana, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but in 1950 transferred to the University of California,...
.
See also
- Comprehensive Microbial ResourceComprehensive Microbial ResourceThe Comprehensive Microbial Resource is a website carrying data on publicly available prokaryotic genomes. Searches for similarities and differences between genomes can be conveniently carried out as all the information is stored on a single website...
- Artificial cellArtificial cellAn artificial cell is a minimal cell from artificial parts and is an emerging technology. Until recently, most attempts have generally created only a package that can do many things a cell can do, such as transcribe and translate proteins and generate ATP but not yet a fully operational cell...
- The Institute for Genomic ResearchThe Institute for Genomic ResearchThe Institute for Genomic Research was a non-profit genomics research institute founded in 1992 by Craig Venter in Rockville, Maryland, United States. It is now a part of the J. Craig Venter Institute.-History:...
- Global Ocean Sampling ExpeditionGlobal Ocean Sampling ExpeditionThe Global Ocean Sampling Expedition is an ocean exploration genome project with the goal of assessing the genetic diversity in marine microbial communities and to understand their role in nature's fundamental processes. Begun as a Sargasso Sea pilot sampling project in August 2003, Craig Venter...
- Mycoplasma laboratoriumMycoplasma laboratoriumMycoplasma laboratorium is a planned partially synthetic species of bacterium derived from the genome of Mycoplasma genitalium. This effort in synthetic biology is being undertaken at the J. Craig Venter Institute by a team of approximately 20 scientists headed by Nobel laureate Hamilton Smith, and...