Being the Pioneer of Life Sciences in China: —Introduction to Beijing Genomics Institute

Zhang, Xin

Internationally, BGI and the Danish Porcine Genome Consortium launched the Pig Genome Project in October 2000. The project, expected to take several years, is the first one to tackle livestock. Phase one of this project is aimed to identify valuable genes, develop markers for physical and genetic mapping, and provide research tools for xenotransplantation in three years. The second phase would develop a working draft covering 90% of the sequence and 95% of the genes. The pig genome is estimated to contain 3×109 bp, roughly the same size as human. The partners hope that information from the project will benefit pig-breeding industries in the two countries as well as the research on basic science and medicine all over the world.