STANFORD--Researchers at the Stanford Human Genome Center have developed
a powerful new computer program that can map thousands of genetic markers
at once. Using this program, called Mapper, scientists have obtained one
of the most accurate views yet of the human genome as a whole.
"These maps have better resolution in local areas than the other available
whole genome maps," said Dr. David Cox, professor of genetics and co-director
of the Stanford Human Genome Center. "The others can tell you what
block the house is on, but we can give the exact address."
Mapper produces high-quality genetic maps that will dramatically advance
the efforts of the Human Genome Project, whose goal is to map and sequence
the genetic blueprint that contains all of the instructions about how to
make a human body, said Richard Myers, professor of genetics and director
of the Stanford Human Genome Center.
"Previously, it would take months for us to build a map," said
Myers. "Now we can rebuild it every day, including new information
as it is gathered. Our maps are now much more accurate because we can map
everything at once."
The Stanford team that developed Mapper will present the new method, this
week, along with the maps it has generated, at the Genome Mapping and Sequencing
meeting at Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., May 8-12.
To get an idea of the challenge confronting gene mappers, imagine constructing
a map of the world knowing only that Palo Alto is close to San Francisco,
Paris and Frankfurt are both in Europe, and Johannesburg and Nairobi are
on the same continent.
Gene mappers use short, distinctive genetic markers found in DNA as signposts
in the human genome. Markers that are close together remain on the same
piece of DNA when scientists cut the long strands into small pieces. Using
statistics to count how often particular pairs of markers remain together,
computers can measure the distances between them and can determine their
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Contact: Mike Goodkind
ma.meg@forsythe.stanford.edu
Stanford University Medical Center
13-May-1996