by D. Vogt

Created on: July 06, 2010

The Influenza Genome Sequencing Project is a U.S. National Institutes of Health-sponsored project to sequence and make available for researchers the genome of known human and avian ("bird flu") influenza viruses. The project was started in 2004, published its first genomes the following year, and has sequenced the genetic codes of a large number of flu virus types in the subsequent years.

Sequencing the genome for a rapidly mutating virus like influenza is in some senses simpler than doing so for complex species such as human beings (e.g. the human genome project), but also much more time-consuming in that there are an immense number of mutated types of flu virus, and more every year. As of mid-2010, over 5300 human and avian flu viruses had been sequenced. There are still literally thousands of flu viruses waiting to be sequenced.

The influenza genome project was initiated by the NIH's National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), but the research itself was conducted at a range of other institutions, like the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, the Institute for Genomic Research, and the New York State Department of Health. A considerable number of sources have contributed viruses to the project to be analyzed, including U.S. states, cities, universies, and research institutes, as well as sources in Canada and abroad. Some of those sequenced include H1N1 viruses (related to the 2009 swine flu pandemic) and H5N1 avian flu viruses (which, many fear, will be the origin of the next flu pandemic).

As they become available, new influenza genome sequences are placed into the GenBank database so that they can be accessed easily by medical researchers. GenBank is an international electronic database maintained by the NIH which contains all publicly released genomic sequencing data. As laboratory technology and processing speed improved in the early years of the project, the speed at which new flu viruses were added to the database was increasing extremely rapidly, though it now seems to have stabilized. It is hoped that the data made available will be used to make medical research into the flu both an easier process but also a more effective one. Not the least major benefit would be that it could assist in developing better methods of predicting dominant strains of flu for a given flu season, and thus assist pharmaceutical laboratories in preparing the annual flu vaccine.

- Sources and More Information -

National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). "Influenza Genome Sequencing Project" (official website).

NIH News. "NIAID Launches Influenza Genome Sequencing Project."

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