(edited press release)

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), yesterday (July 19) announced they approved the genome sequencing of the horse to “high-density genome coverage.” Scientists had earlier reported the horse was a probable target for the high-level sequencing. (See www.TheHorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?id=7128 for more information.)

Comparing the genomes of other species to humans is an exceptionally powerful tool to help researchers understand the working parts of the human genome in both health and illness.

The latest sequencing plan was recently approved by the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research, a federally chartered committee that advises NHGRI on program priorities and goals. Sequencing work on approved targets is carried out by the NHGRI-supported, Large-Scale Sequencing Research Network, which consists of several centers around the country. The Broad Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge is the center where the high-density genome was sequenced