Cracking ENCODE

Results from the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements consortium have provided the first systematic and comprehensive look at how gene expression is regulated in humans. Although the data provide the most detailed picture yet of the human genome since its complete sequencing over a decade ago, the new information-much like the initial sequencing of the genome-has no immediate application to drug discovery. Rather, the data provide researchers with a more focused starting point for formulating new hypotheses about which targets to pursue.

A decade ago, the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) consortium set out to catalog the function of the entire genome, not just the protein-coding portions previously thought to be the most important parts. The consortium used a variety of DNA- and RNA-profiling techniques on 147 human cell and tissue types to construct a database of complex genetic interactions that regulate the activity of genes...