Projects

From a role as a leader in the 12-year Human genome project, the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute has built on its sequencing skills to develop new programmes in postgenomic biology - understanding the messages in genes. The Institute endeavours to maintain a position at the forefront of experimental and computational genome research.

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute's research projects fall into four main areas of research: human genetics; mouse and zebrafish genetics; pathogen genetics and bioinformatics. Each project is led by a member of the Institute's Faculty.

Our projects are listed below:

[Genome Research Limited]

Human Genetics

  • Applied statistical genetics - Develops and applies strategies for design, analysis and interpretation of large-scale disease association and resequencing studies
  • Cancer genome project - Uses sequence and high-throughput mutation detection to identify genes critical in the development of cancers
  • Genetic epidemiology - Explores genomic diversity and its impact on infectious and cardiometabolic risk factors among populations
  • Genetics of common neurological diseases - Identifies genes and variants contributing to neurological diseases to better understand pathogenic mechanisms
  • Genetics of complex traits in humans - Explores common disease and variable response to drugs through large-scale genome-wide association studies
  • Genome dynamics and evolution - Examines the processes by which variations in DNA sequence are introduced and their effects on human health
  • Genome-wide profiling of human diseases - Research project to understand the complex causes of common diseases led by Leena Peltonen, who, sadly, died in March 2010
  • Genomics of quantitative variation - Uses quantitative intermediate traits to unravel novel mechanisms underlying common, complex diseases
  • Human evolution - Investigates genetic variation in apes and humans to understand our evolutionary past and its implications for our current health
  • Metabolic disease group - Identifies genes linked to type 2 diabetes and obesity to better understand the aetiology of the diseases
  • Molecular cytogenetics - Aims to detect rare structural changes in chromosomes to understand the causes of certain inherited disorders
  • Statistical and computational genetics - Elucidates the genetic basis of common human disease using statistical and computational approaches
  • Statistical genetics - Aims to understand common human disease by identifying and characterizing mutations underlying disease susceptibility

Mouse & Zebrafish

  • Cell surface signalling laboratory - Aims to discover entirely new signaling pathways by identifying novel cell surface receptor-ligand pairs
  • Experimental cancer genetics - Aims to understand mechanisms of cancer development by generating and characterising mutations in mice
  • Genes to cognition - Carries out genome-wide and specific gene studies to understand synapse and multiprotein machines
  • Genetics of deafness - Studies mice with hearing impairments to identify genes associated with deafness and determine their function
  • Genetics of instinctive behaviour - Investigates the sensory mechanisms that regulate stereotyped social behaviour by ablating candidate genes in mice.
  • Mouse cancer genetics - Uses genetic, genomic and biochemical approaches to understand cancer biology in mouse models
  • Mouse developmental genetics and ES cell mutagenesis - Uses mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells as a model of early embryonic development and employs high throughput mutagenesis strategies to generate reporter-tagged mutations in ES cells
  • Mouse genomics - Uses disruption of genes in embryonic stem cells in mice to discover genes involved in cellular processes and diseases
  • Vertebrate development and genetics - Aims to understand the mechanistic basis of human genetic diseases by using zebrafish and X. tropicalis as models

Pathogen Genetics

  • Bacterial pathogenesis - Studies the host-pathogen interactions that are linked to disease and transmission in experimental murine models and human populations
  • Malaria programme: Billker group - Elucidates the molecular and cell biology of malaria parasites to understand development and transmission
  • Malaria programme: Kwiatkowski group - Investigates biological consequences of natural variation in the human and plasmodium genomes
  • Malaria programme: Rayner group - Investigates the interactions between P. falciparum and human red blood cells
  • Microbial pathogenesis - Elucidates interactions between the host and the pathogen to understand how we respond to infection
  • Parasite genomics - Uses sequencing to uncover the genomic basis for differences in the biology of strains or species of parasites
  • Pathogen genomics - Sequences small genomes and analyses the data for information on DNA structure and function
  • Virus genomics - Explores the diversity of DNA and RNA viruses and host-pathogen interactions using next-generation sequencing

Bioinformatics