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<div style="margin: auto 0cm"><b><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 10pt"p>PRESIDENT CLINTON ANNOUNCES THE COMPLETION OF THE FIRST SURVEY OF THE ENTIRE HUMAN GENOME Hails Public and Private Efforts Leading to This Historic Achievement <br /span><br /font>THE WHITE HOUSE<br /b><br /div>Office of the Press Secretary<prebr /> <br />___________________________________________________________________________<br />For Immediate Release June 25, 2000<br /pre><prebr /><spanbr /> <br /><br />PRESIDENT CLINTON ANNOUNCES THE COMPLETION OF THE FIRST<br />SURVEY OF THE WHITE HOUSEENTIRE HUMAN GENOME<br /span>Hails Public and Private Efforts Leading to This Historic Achievement<br /pre>June 26, 2000<prebr /> <br /pre><prebr />Today, at a historic White House event with British Prime Minister Tony<br />Blair, President Clinton announced that the international Human Genome<span> Office of the Press Secretary<br /span></pre>Project and Celera Genomics Corporation have both completed an initial<pre> <br /pre>sequencing of the human genome -- the genetic blueprint for human beings.<pre>___________________________________________________________________________<br /pre>He congratulated the scientists working in both the public and private<pre>For Immediate Release<spanbr /> June 25, 2000sectors on this landmark achievement, which promises to lead to a new era<br />of molecular medicine, an era that will bring new ways to prevent,<br />diagnose, treat and cure disease. The President pledged to continue and<br />accelerate the United States' commitment to helping translate this<br />blueprint into novel healthcare strategies and therapies. He will<br />underscore that this genetic information must never be used to stigmatize<br /span>or discriminate against any individual or group. Our scientific advances<br /pre>must always incorporate our most cherished values, and the privacy of this<prebr /> new information must be protected.<br /pre><prebr /> <br /pre><pre> <br /pre>DECODING THE HUMAN GENOME WILL LEAD TO NEW WAYS TO PREVENT, DIAGNOSE,<pre> <br /pre>TREAT, AND CURE DISEASE. Alterations in our genes are responsible for an<pre><spanbr /> estimated 5000 clearly hereditary diseases, such as Huntington's disease,<br /span>cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell anemia, and influence the development of<span style="font-size: 11pt">PRESIDENT CLINTON ANNOUNCES THE COMPLETION OF THE FIRST</spanbr />thousands of other diseases. Before the advent of the Human Genome<br /pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt"> SURVEY OF THE ENTIRE HUMAN GENOME</spanProject, a joint project of HHS, DOE, and international partners in the<br />United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, China, connecting a gene with a<br />disease was a slow, arduous, painstaking, and frequently imprecise process.<br />Today, genes are discovered and described within days. For example, in<br /pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt"> 1989, scientists found the gene for cystic fibrosis after a 9-year search; Hails Public and Private Efforts Leading to This Historic Achievement<br /span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt"eight years later, largely because of the coordinated efforts of the Human<br /> June 26, 2000Genome Project, a gene for Parkinson's disease was mapped in only 9 days.<br />Now, scientists will be able to use the working draft of the human genome<br /><br />to:<br /><br /><br />* Alert patients that they are at risk for certain diseases. Once<br /span><scientists discover which DNA sequence changes in a gene can cause disease,<br /pre>healthy people can be tested to see whether they risk developing conditions<prebr /> <br /pre>such as diabetes or prostate cancer later in life. In many cases, this<pre> <br /pre>advance warning can be a cue to start a vigilant screening program, to take<prebr /><span style="font-size: 11pt">Todaypreventive medicines, at a historic White House event with British Prime Minister Tonyor to make diet or lifestyle changes that may prevent<br /span>the disease.<br /pre><prebr /><span style="font-size: 11pt"br />Blair, President Clinton announced that * Reliably predict the international Human Genomecourse of disease. Diagnosing ailments more<br /span></pre>precisely will lead to more reliable predictions about the course of a<pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">Project and Celera Genomics Corporation have both completed an initial<br /span>disease. For example, a genetic fingerprint will allow doctors treating<br /pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">sequencing of the human genome -- the prostate cancer to predict how aggressive a tumor will be. New genetic blueprint for human beings.</span><br /pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">He congratulated information will help patients and doctors weigh the scientists working in both the public risks and privatebenefits of<br /span>different treatments.<br /pre><prebr /><span style="font-size: 11pt">sectors on this landmark achievement, which promises to lead to a new era<br /span>* Precisely diagnose disease and ensure the most effective treatment is<br /pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">of molecular medicine, an era that will bring new ways used. Genetic analysis allows us to preventclassify diseases,such as colon<br /span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">diagnosecancer and skin cancer, treat and cure diseaseinto more defined categories. The President pledged to continue andThese improved<br /span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">accelerate the United States' commitment classifications will eventually allow scientists to helping translate thistailor drugs for<br /span>patients whose individual response can be predicted by genetic<br /pre>fingerprinting. For example, cancer patients facing chemotherapy could<pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">blueprint into novel healthcare strategies and therapies. He will<br /span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">underscore receive a genetic fingerprint of their tumor that this genetic information must never be used to stigmatizewould predict which<br /span>chemotherapy choices are most likely to be effective, leading to fewer side<br /pre>effects from the treatment and improved prognoses.<pre><span style="font-size: 11pt"br />or discriminate against any individual or group. Our scientific advances<br /span><br /pre><prebr /><span style="font-size: 11pt">must always incorporate our most cherished values, and * Developing new treatments at the privacy of thismolecular level. Drug design guided by<br /span></pre>an understanding of how genes work and knowledge of exactly what happens at<pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">new information must be protected.<br /span>the molecular level to cause disease, will lead to more effective<br /pre>therapies. In many cases, rather than trying to replace a gene, it may be<prebr /> more effective and simpler to replace a defective gene's protein product.<br /pre>Alternatively, it may be possible to administer a small molecule that would<prebr /> interact with the protein to change its behavior. This is the strategy<br /pre>behind a drug in development for chronic myelogenous leukemia, which<pre> <br /pre>targets the genetic flaw causing the disease. It attaches to the abnormal<prebr /><span style="font-size: 11pt"protein caused by the genetic flaw and blocks its activity. In preliminary<br />DECODING THE HUMAN GENOME WILL LEAD TO NEW WAYS TO PREVENT, DIAGNOSEtests,blood counts returned to normal in all patients treated with the<br /span>drug.<br /pre><prebr /><span style="font-size: 11pt">TREAT, AND CURE DISEASE. Alterations in our genes are responsible for an<br /span><br /pre>TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT REPRESENTS THE STARTING POINT FOR A NEW ERA OF GENETIC<pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">estimated 5000 clearly hereditary diseases, such as Huntington's disease,<br /span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell anemia, and influence MEDICINE. The sequence represents only the first step in the development offull decoding<br /span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">thousands of other diseases. Before the advent of the Human Genomegenome, because most of the individual genes and their specific<br /span></pre>functions must still be deciphered and understood. This research has<pre><span style="font-size: 11pt"br />Projectbegun, and already, a joint project tens of thousands of HHSgenes have been identified, DOE, and international partners in the</span><br /pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">United Kingdomincluding some related to deafness, Francekidney disease, Germanybreast cancer, Japan, China, connecting a gene with a<br /span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">disease was a slowhereditary skeletal disorders, arduoushemorrhagic stroke and diabetes, painstaking, and frequently imprecise process.thus<br /span></pre>advancing the work of researchers worldwide at a rate that would have<pre><span style="font-size: 11pt"br />Todayimpossible without these data. The Human Genome Project, genes are discovered and described within days. For example, inwhich completed<br /span>its version of the working draft two years ahead of schedule and under<br /pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">1989budget, scientists found the gene for cystic fibrosis after a 9-year search;will continue its longstanding practice of making all of its<br /span>sequencing data available to public and privately funded researchers<br /pre>worldwide at no cost. Celera Genomics, which makes its sequencing data<pre><span style="font-size: 11pt"br />eight years lateravailable by subscription, largely because will also make its version of the coordinated efforts of the Humanconsensus<br /span>human genome sequence available to non-subscribers upon publication.<br /><br /pre><prebr /><span style="font-size: 11pt"br />Genome Project, a gene for Parkinson's disease was mapped in only 9 days.PRESIDENT CLINTON PLEDGES STRONG SUPPORT FOR GENETIC RESEARCH BY BOTH THE<br /span>PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS. President Clinton reiterated the commitment of<br /pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">Now, scientists will be able the United States to use the working draft of the human genomerobust Federal support for basic scientific research<br /span></pre>facilitating medical application of the science. President Clinton also<pre> <br /pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">stated his support for a strong structure to:</span>review the medical, ethical<br /pre>and other issues presented by the expected new power of genetic medicine,<prebr /> building on the multi-million dollar investment the Human Genome Project<br /pre>already makes in research on the social, ethical and legal implications of<pre> <br /pre>this work. He recognized that research and development by biotechnology<prebr />companies will be key to the translation of human genome sequence data into<span style="font-size: 11pt">* Alert patients that they are at risk for certain diseases. Once<br /span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">scientists discover which DNA sequence changes in useful, new healthcare products and pledged to strengthen a gene can cause disease,business<br /span>environment that will spur research and development in this vital sector.<br /pre>The President also reaffirmed his support for patenting genetic discoveries<prebr />that have substantial and credible uses. By protecting and rewarding<span style="font-size: 11pt">healthy people can be tested to see whether they risk developing conditions</spanbr />investment in research, consistent with current law, this policy of<br /pre>intellectual property protection will promote rapid conversion of basic<pre> <br /pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">such as diabetes or prostate cancer later in life. In many casesknowledge into useful applications, thiswhile at the same time allowing a<br /span></pre>maximum free flow of basic scientific information.<prebr /><span style="font-size: 11pt">advance warning can be a cue to start a vigilant screening program, to take<br /span><br /pre><pre><span style="fontTODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT BUILDS ON THE CLINTON-size: 11pt">preventive medicines, or to make diet or lifestyle changes that may preventGORE ADMINISTRATION'S STRONG<br /span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">COMMITMENT TO PROTECTING PRIVATE GENETIC INFORMATION. Since 1997, the disease.<br /span><br /pre>President and Vice President have called for legislation that will<pre> <br /pre>guarantee that Americans who are self-employed or otherwise buy health<prebr /> insurance themselves will not lose or be denied that health insurance<br /pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">* Reliably predict the course of diseasebecause of their genetic makeup. Diagnosing ailments moreLast winter, President Clinton signed an<br /span>executive order that prohibits every civilian Federal Department and agency<br /pre>from using genetic information in any hiring or promotion action. This<prebr />historic action prevented critical information from genetic tests used to<span style="font-size: 11pt"br />precisely will lead to more reliable predictions about the course of ahelp predict, prevent, and treat diseases, from being used against Federal<br /span>employees. In addition, President Clinton has endorsed the Genetic<br /pre>Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance and Employment Act of 1999,<pre><span style="font-size: 11pt"br />disease. For exampleintroduced by Senator Daschle and Congresswoman Slaughter, a genetic fingerprint that will allow doctors treatingextend<br /span>these employment protections to the private sector and finish the job of<br /pre>helping to extend protections to individuals purchasing health insurance,<prebr />begun with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.<span style="font-size: 11pt"br />prostate cancer to predict how aggressive a tumor will be. New genetic<br /span><b>Document Use and Credits<br /pre><pre/b><span style="font-size: 11pt">information will help patients Publications and doctors weigh webpages on this site were created by the risks U.S. Department of Energy Genome Program's Biological and benefits of</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">different treatmentsEnvironmental Research Information System (BERIS).</span></pre><pre> <Permission to use these documents is not needed, but please credit the U.S. Department of Energy Genome Programs and provide the website http:/pre><pre> </pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">* Precisely diagnose disease genomics.energy.gov. All other materials were provided by third parties and ensure not created by the most effective treatment is<U.S. Department of Energy. You must contact the person listed in the citation before using those documents.<br /span> </prep><prep><span stylea href="font-sizehttp: 11pt">used//www.ornl. Genetic analysis allows us to classify diseases, such as colon<gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/span><project/preclinton1.shtml"><pre><span style="font-sizehttp: 11pt">cancer and skin cancer, into more defined categories//www.ornl. These improved<gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/project/span>clinton1.shtml</pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">classifications will eventually allow scientists to tailor drugs for</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">patients whose individual response can be predicted by genetic</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">fingerprinting. For example, cancer patients facing chemotherapy could</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">receive a genetic fingerprint of their tumor that would predict which</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">chemotherapy choices are most likely to be effective, leading to fewer side</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">effects from the treatment and improved prognoses.</span></pre><pre> </pre><pre> </pre><pre> </pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">* Developing new treatments at the molecular level. Drug design guided by</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">an understanding of how genes work and knowledge of exactly what happens at</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">the molecular level to cause disease, will lead to more effective</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">therapies. In many cases, rather than trying to replace a gene, it may be</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">more effective and simpler to replace a defective gene's protein product.</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">Alternatively, it may be possible to administer a small molecule that would</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">interact with the protein to change its behavior. This is the strategy</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">behind a drug in development for chronic myelogenous leukemia, which</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">targets the genetic flaw causing the disease. It attaches to the abnormal</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">protein caused by the genetic flaw and blocks its activity. In preliminary</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">tests, blood counts returned to normal in all patients treated with the</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">drug.</span></pre><pre> </pre><pre> </pre><pre> </pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT REPRESENTS THE STARTING POINT FOR A NEW ERA OF GENETIC</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">MEDICINE. The sequence represents only the first step in the full decoding</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">of the genome, because most of the individual genes and their specific</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">functions must still be deciphered and understood. This research has</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">begun, and already, tens of thousands of genes have been identified,</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">including some related to deafness, kidney disease, breast cancer,</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">hereditary skeletal disorders, hemorrhagic stroke and diabetes, thus</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">advancing the work of researchers worldwide at a rate that would have</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">impossible without these data. The Human Genome Project, which completed</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">its version of the working draft two years ahead of schedule and under</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">budget, will continue its longstanding practice of making all of its</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">sequencing data available to public and privately funded researchers</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">worldwide at no cost. Celera Genomics, which makes its sequencing data</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">available by subscription, will also make its version of the consensus</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">human genome sequence available to non-subscribers upon publication.</span></pre><pre> </pre><pre> </pre><pre> </pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">PRESIDENT CLINTON PLEDGES STRONG SUPPORT FOR GENETIC RESEARCH BY BOTH THE</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS. President Clinton reiterated the commitment of</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">the United States to robust Federal support for basic scientific research</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">facilitating medical application of the science. President Clinton also</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">stated his support for a strong structure to review the medical, ethical</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">and other issues presented by the expected new power of genetic medicine,</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">building on the multi-million dollar investment the Human Genome Project</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">already makes in research on the social, ethical and legal implications of</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">this work. He recognized that research and development by biotechnology</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">companies will be key to the translation of human genome sequence data into</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">useful, new healthcare products and pledged to strengthen a business</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">environment that will spur research and development in this vital sector.</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">The President also reaffirmed his support for patenting genetic discoveries</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">that have substantial and credible uses. By protecting and rewarding</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">investment in research, consistent with current law, this policy of</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">intellectual property protection will promote rapid conversion of basic</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">knowledge into useful applications, while at the same time allowing a</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">maximum free flow of basic scientific information.</span></pre><pre> </pre><pre> </pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT BUILDS ON THE CLINTON-GORE ADMINISTRATION'S STRONG</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">COMMITMENT TO PROTECTING PRIVATE GENETIC INFORMATION. Since 1997, the</span></pre><pre> </pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">President and Vice President have called for legislation that will</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">guarantee that Americans who are self-employed or otherwise buy health</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">insurance themselves will not lose or be denied that health insurance</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">because of their genetic makeup. Last winter, President Clinton signed an</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">executive order that prohibits every civilian Federal Department and agency</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">from using genetic information in any hiring or promotion action. This</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">historic action prevented critical information from genetic tests used to</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">help predict, prevent, and treat diseases, from being used against Federal</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">employees. In addition, President Clinton has endorsed the Genetic</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance and Employment Act of 1999,</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">introduced by Senator Daschle and Congresswoman Slaughter, that will extend</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">these employment protections to the private sector and finish the job of</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">helping to extend protections to individuals purchasing health insurance,</span></pre><pre><span style="font-size: 11pt">begun with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.</span></pre><pre> </pre><div><strong><span style="font-size: 9pt">Document Use and Credits</span></strong><span style="font-size: 9pt"><br />Publications and webpages on this site were created by the U.S. Department of Energy Genome Program's <a href="http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/mission.shtml"><font color="#0000ff">Biological and Environmental Research Information System (BERIS)</font></a>. Permission to use these documents is not needed, but please credit the U.S. Department of Energy Genome Programs and provide the website http://genomics.energy.gov. All other materials were provided by third parties and not created by the U.S. Department of Energy. You must contact the person listed in the citation before using those documents.</spana></divp><divp> </divp>