TIGR

TIGR (The Institute for Genomic Research) is a non-profit research institute that was founded in 1992 and was located in Rockville, Maryland. The institute was dedicated to deciphering and analyzing genomes, the complete set of genetic material within an organism. TIGR was one of the pioneers in the field of genomics and has made significant contributions to the understanding of genomes of a wide variety of organisms.

History

TIGR was founded by J. Craig Venter, a prominent figure in the field of genomics. The institute was initially funded by a grant from the Ventner Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting scientific research. TIGR was one of the first institutes to focus solely on genomics, a field that was still in its infancy at the time.

Research

TIGR was involved in a number of groundbreaking research projects. One of the most notable was the sequencing of the genome of the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae, the first free-living organism to have its genome completely sequenced. This project, completed in 1995, marked a significant milestone in the field of genomics.

In addition to its work on bacterial genomes, TIGR also conducted research on the genomes of higher organisms. This included the sequencing of the genome of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, a model organism in plant biology.

Legacy

In 2006, TIGR was integrated into the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), a larger research organization also founded by Venter. Today, the legacy of TIGR continues through the work of JCVI, which carries on the institute's mission of advancing the understanding of genomics.

See also

• Genome project
• Bioinformatics
• Molecular biology