To the editor:

We are writing in response to a news item that appeared in the October 1999 issue, entitled “Giga speed bioinformatics to power Genome Canada” (Nat. Biotechnol. 17, 950, 1999). On behalf of Genome Canada, we would like to correct some significant errors of fact that appeared in this article.

Although we would be pleased if Brian Hoyle's statements regarding budgetary commitments to Genome Canada were true, in fact there have been no pledges by the Canadian Government, the Federal granting councils, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, provincial governments, or industry in direct support of the “Genome Canada” initiative. The numbers cited resemble those that were part of a proposal, now almost a year old, entitled “Genome Canada 1998 Blueprint and Principles,” but that proposal, which was never formally ratified, has undergone significant modification and enhancement since its first appearance. In the interim a number of the organizations mentioned above, including the federal government, have recognized the growing importance of genome research to Canada and have allocated some funding to genomics research. Genome Canada's interim board of directors, appointed in March 1999, is actively working to elicit government, public, and private-sector support for a coordinated Genome Canada research initiative that will establish Canada as a world leader in this burgeoning field of scientific endeavor. We are optimistic that the full Genome Canada vision will be recognized in the next federal budget, expected in early 2000.

To correct other details, the government under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien had not, as the article stated, “…axed the Canadian Genome Analysis and Technology Program…”, known as CGAT; rather, its five-year mandate was completed but not renewed. Dr. Tsui was not interviewed for this article, nor was any Genome Canada “official.” The interim board and staff of Genome Canada disavow the statements made, and apologize to those individuals and organizations mentioned for any confusion that has ensued.