Sanger Institute milestones and achievements

Selected milestones and major achievements of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

1992

• Sanger Centre initiated by John Sulston in the grounds of Hinxton Hall, Cambridgeshire

1993

• Sanger Centre officially opened by Fred Sanger, who devised the 'Sanger' DNA sequencing method

1996

• Sanger Centre moves into purpose-built accommodation

1997

• Yeast genome completed: the Sanger Centre makes the largest single contribution

1998

• Wellcome Trust commits to fund one-third of the human genome – up from one-sixth
• Work on the genome sequence of the Caenorhabditis elegans (nematode worm) is completed
• Publication of the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis – the bacterium that causes TB

1999

• Publication of the first finished sequence of a human chromosome, chromosome 22

2000

• John Sulston retires as Director and Allan Bradley is appointed to take over
• Publication of Campylobacter jejuni (food poisoning) genome sequence
• Publication of Neisseria meningitidis (blood poisoning; meningitis) genome sequence
• Ensembl genome browser launched

2001

• John Sulston is knighted for services to genome research
• Publication of the draft human genome sequence in 'Nature'
• Publication of the Yersinia pestis (plague) genome sequence
• Publication of the Salmonella typhi (typhoid) genome sequence
• Publication of the Mycobacterium leprae (leprosy) genome sequence
• Publication of the Schizozaccharomyces pombe (fission yeast) genome sequence
• New £300 million, five-year research programme announced, funded by the Wellcome Trust. The Sanger Centre becomes the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

2002

• John Sulston awarded the Nobel Prize for work on C. elegans (with Sydney Brenner and Bob Horvitz)
• Publication of draft mouse genome sequence in 'Nature'
• Publication of malaria parasite sequence in 'Nature'
• Cancer Genome Project finds gene (BRAF) associated with 66 per cent of malignant melanomas

2003

• Completion of the human genome sequence: the Sanger Institute makes the single largest contribution
• Publication of analyses of chromosome 6 sequence
• Sanger Institute completes 2 billion bases of finished DNA sequence

2004

• Publication of analyses of chromosome 9, 10 and 13 sequences
• Publication of the MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus) sequence in 'Nature'
• The finished and 'gold standard' human genome sequence is published in 'Nature'

2005

• The Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium is established, with the purpose of identifying genetic differences in eight diseases
• The South Field Project to extend the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus is opened by HRH The Princess Royal

2006

• Publication of the Clostridium difficile (the hospital 'superbug') genome sequence in 'Nature Genetics'
• The publication output of the Sanger Institute reaches its 1000th original research article
• Publication of the findings of the Copy Number Variation Project in 'Nature'

2007

• Publication of the critical role of microRNAs in the immune system in 'Science'

2008

• The 1000 Genomes Project is launched, with the aim of sequencing the genomes of 1000 individuals by 2011
• The International Cancer Genome Consortium is established to identify the key mutations in up to 50 types of cancer
• The publication output of the Sanger Institute reaches its 1500th original research article

2009

• Publication of the Schistosoma mansoni (a parasitic blood fluke in humans) genome sequence in 'Nature'
• The first draft of the domesticated pig genome is completed by an international consortium which includes the Sanger Institute
• Publication by the Cancer Genome Project of the first comprehensive analysis of two cancer genomes in 'Nature'

2010

• Allan Bradley stands down as Director and Mike Stratton is appointed to take over