Overview
- JCVI, which announced the news Thursday, said Venter died in San Diego at 79 after a brief hospitalization caused by unexpected side effects from treatment for a recently diagnosed cancer.
- He led Celera Genomics in a private effort that sped the mapping of the human genome, a role recognized by the 2001 Prince of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research.
- In 2010 his team created a self-replicating bacterial cell controlled by a chemically synthesized genome, showing that a genome can be designed on a computer and built in the lab.
- He expanded environmental genomics through the Sorcerer II ocean sampling voyage, using metagenomics to uncover millions of previously unknown microbial genes and new protein families.
- JCVI leaders hailed his focus on fast, data-driven discovery and his advocacy for strong federal research funding and broad public–private collaboration, saying the institute will sustain that agenda.