Celera to keep mouse genome to itself

Stephen Manning / AP 27apr01

LANHAM, MD -- Celera Genomics said Friday that it has completed a genetic map of a common laboratory mouse but will not publish the results in a scientific journal and will instead provide the data to paying customers only.

The Rockville-based company will make the complete mouse genome available only to subscribers to its growing genetic library, which also includes maps of the human and fruit fly genomes.

Celera president J. Craig Venter said the Internet-based genetic database has become an effective way for scientists to evaluate Celera's work.

``All the top academic institutions in the world have signed up for the Celera database. We've in effect developed our own online magazine that people can subscribe to and get all the data. Even our worst critics can subscribe,'' Venter said.

Celera does not disclose its fees, but pharmaceutical companies using the data for drug development are said to pay as much as $15 million to subscribe.

Although Celera is a private company and has no obligation to release its research, its decision not to publish the mouse data is troubling, said Larry Thompson, a spokesman for the federally funded Human Genome Project, which plans to release its own map of the mouse genome soon.

``It is very difficult to assess whether Dr. Venter has done what he has said he has done unless one has access to the data,'' Thompson said. ``If you have to pay a million dollars for a subscription, that precludes a lot of people from having access.''

Celera published some of its landmark human genome research in the journal Science in February after squabbling over how much data would be included.

Celera was able to sequence the 15.9 billion base pairs of the mouse genome in a year using its shotgun sequencing approach. Under that method, the mouse's DNA was broken into millions of pieces, the genetic code of each piece was deciphered and the pieces were reassembled with the help of supercomputers.

Most laboratories use mice to study human diseases.

``In some respect the mouse genome is probably more important than the human genome,'' Venter said.

• Celera Genomics -- www.celera.com
• Human Genome Project -- www.ornl.gov/hgmis