2002 Gairdner Awards Honor Genome Scientists

Dr. Philip Green and Dr. Maynard Olson were selected to receive 2002 Gairdner Foundation International Awards for their contributions to genomics research. Another of the eight 2002 awards went to Dr. Robert Waterston, incoming chair of the UW Department of Genome Sciences and formerly of Washington University in St. Louis.

Green, professor of genome sciences, was recognized for his contributions to development of the computational tools essential for sequencing of the human genome. Green obtained a doctorate in mathematics before turning to molecular biology and then specializing in computational molecular biology. He wrote a series of software programs that remain the worldwide standard at genome centers that do large-scale sequencing.

His signature contribution was to incorporate measures of quality into genome sequencing. These measures, for example, assign to each base in the sequence a probability that it has been read accurately. These quality checks proved invaluable not only for assessing the accuracy of any sequence segments obtained, but also for assembling the often overlapping fragments into a whole. When comparing two sequence snippets, the software distinguishes between real differences and simple errors.

Green also provided compelling early evidence that the number of genes in the human genome was surprisingly low, around 35,000. His current work is in comparative genomics, where he analyzes patterns in the sequence data from different vertebrates.

Olson, professor of genome sciences and of medicine, won the award for his original concepts, and for technological and experimental innovations that were critical for the sequencing of the mammalian genomes. Working initially on the yeast genome, Olson developed what became standard experimental methods and technologies for physical mapping of complex genomes. He established many of the conceptual and technical foundations for the Human Genome Project.

Olson’s current research relates genetic variation to disease. He works with both the human genome and that of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an infectious agent. Olson was a lead investigator in the sequencing of this bacterium.

Waterston, who holds the William Gates III Endowed Chair in Biomedical Sciences in addition to chairing the Department of Genome Sciences, received the Gairdner for his major seminal contributions to sequencing of human and other genomes. In 1998 he completed the genome sequence of the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, It was the first animal genome ever sequenced. This project led directly to a leadership role in the Human Genome Project. Before his appointment at the UW, Waterston directed the Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University. The center is one off the world’s premier genome research labs.

The Gairdner International Awards recognize biomedical research achievements that are expected to significantly improve the quality of life. Since 1959, these awards have been presented to 255 scientists; 56 of them have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.