Who led the private sequencing effort at Celera Genomics?

Craig Venter led the private human-genome sequencing effort at Celera Genomics. He helped found the company in 1998 and became its president and chief scientific officer, directing a commercial project that challenged the publicly funded Human Genome Project.

Celera used whole-genome shotgun sequencing, a method that breaks DNA into many fragments, sequences them rapidly and uses computers to assemble overlapping pieces. Venter had already helped pioneer this strategy at The Institute for Genomic Research, where his team sequenced the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae, the first free-living organism to have its genome sequenced.

Celera’s competition accelerated the public project and pushed both groups toward a first draft of the human genome. In 2000, Venter and Francis Collins jointly announced the achievement with U.S. President Bill Clinton and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. Celera and the public consortium later published their draft results in 2001.

A frequent mix-up is naming Collins, Watson or Lander. They were important figures in public genomics and genetics, but Venter was the central leader of Celera’s private effort.