National Human Genome Research Institute

NHGRI

The NHGRI is one of the primary initiators of the ENCODE project. This national subsidary was created for the advancement of knowledge in the fields of personal genomics and medicine with an emphasis in genetics. The NHGRI initated the Human Genome Project which led to the ENCODE project.

Gregor Mendel

Father of Genetics

Gregor Mendel, known as the "father of modern genetics," was born in Austria in 1822. A monk, Mendel discovered the basic principles of heredity through experiments in his monastery's garden. His experiments showed that the inheritance of certain traits in pea plants follows particular patterns, subsequently becoming the foundation of modern genetics and leading to the study of heredity.

James Watson and Francis Crick

DNA Structure

Watson and Crick are best known for their discovery of the double-helical structure of DNA using X-ray diffraction techniques. The two met in 1953 and discovered the structure during their second attempt. Watson and Crick won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine along with Maurice Wilkins for their discovery. Click on the green button to learn more about Watson or Crick.

Illumina

Next-Gen Seq Company

Illumina's vision is to improve human medicine by unlocking the power of the human genome. Illumina plays a major role in the ENCODE project by providing a market for next-gen seq technologies which greatly expedites sequencing procedures.

Fredrick Sanger

Innovator

Fredrick Sanger was born in 1918 into an English family. He became interested in medicine but was later convinced that science would help him with solving problems. A twice-earned nobel laureate in the field of chemistry, Sanger is often credited with the development of the Sanger method, the basis of all sequencing technologies.