Human Genome Organisation (HUGO)

• Reference:GB 248 UGC 188/6/3
• Dates of Creation:1989-2007
• Language of Material:English
• Physical Description:
  52 folders

• Administrative / Biographical History

  The idea of an international organisation of human geneticists to encourage international collaboration in human genetics was mooted in April 1988 during the first meeting on genome mapping and sequencing at Cold Spring Harbor, USA, attended by a number of the world's leading human geneticists. HUGO was formally established in Geneva, Switzerland in September 1988 with Dr Victor Almon McKusick as first President. Ferguson-Smith was an Executive Council member. HUGO became the central body coordinating worldwide genome efforts, its activities including support of data collation for constructing genome maps, organizing workshops - Human Gene Mapping Workshops (HGMs), Chromosome Coordinating Meetings (CCMs) and Single Chromosome Workshops (SCWs), fostering exchange of data and biomaterials and technology-sharing. It also served as the coordinating agency between international and government funding agencies and the genome researchers.

  Most of the material here relates to the European Commission (EC) support for SCWs. In 1990 the EC had begun to sponsor individual workshops. In 1991 a Working Group (membership including Ferguson-Smith) of the Advisory Committee for Human Genome Analysis programme recommended that the EC should join with US and UK bodies to fund SCWs and that HUGO should draw up the guidelines for the workshops (see UGC188/6/3/2/1). The EC agreed and made funds available to support SCWs through a series of contracts. The first contract (GENO-91-0048) ran March 1992-June 1993 and supported 17 SCWs. This contract was followed by another (GENE-CT930002) July 1993-April 1997 with a supplementary grant (ERBCIPD-CT94-0406 or PECO), June 1995-August 1996, to support Russian participation in SCWs. The third contract (BMH4-CT-97-2031) ran September 1997-October 1999. There is also some material relating generally to HUGO and to the European office of HUGO, HUGO (London).

• Other Finding Aids

  See also University of Glasgow Collections