Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
about biology through the genome. It made possible orderings and re-
orderings of biological elements and reinforced biologists' notion that
function depends on multiple sequence elements acting together in in-
terconnected ways.
NCBI And Biological Databases in the Genomic Age
In his opening remarks at the celebratory conference marking the
twenty-i fth anniversary of GenBank in 2008, Donald Lindberg remem-
bered the transformative effect of a paper published in Science by Re-
nato Dulbecco. Dulbecco argued that sequencing the human genome
would be a national effort comparable to the “conquest of space.” This
argument convinced Lindberg, who was the director of the National Li-
brary of Medicine (NLM) at the NIH, that the genome project had to be
undertaken and that the NLM should play a key role. This commitment
was refl ected in the NLM's “Long Range Plan” for 1987:
Currently no organization is taking the leadership to promote
keys and standards by which the information from the related
research data bases can be systematically interlinked or retrieved
by investigators. The full potential of the rapidly expanding in-
formation base of molecular biology will be realized only if an
organization with a public mandate such as the Library's takes
the lead to coordinate and link related research data bases. 71
During 1986 and 1987, Lindberg worked to convince Congress of the
importance of this mission. The campaign was taken up fi rst by Rep-
resentative Claude Pepper (D-Florida), who introduced the National
Center for Biotechnology Information Act of 1986. This bill would give
the NLM the responsibility to “develop new communications tools and
serve as a repository and as a center for the distribution of molecular
biology information” (H.R. 99-5271). The NLM circulated a document
on Capitol Hill, titled “Talking One Genetic Language: The Need for a
National Biotechnology Information Center,” that made the case for the
new center. 72 Pepper reintroduced the bill with minor modifi cations in the
next session of Congress (H.R. 100-393), while Senator Lawton Chiles
introduced similar legislation into the Senate on June 11, 1987 (S. 100-
1354). 73 The bill entered Congress at the same time the debates about
the HGP were taking place (Senator Pete Dominici [R-New Mexico] in-
troduced legislation to fund the HGP on July 21). The bill was amended
once more and introduced a third time by Senators Chiles, Dominici,
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