On Oct. 30, 1999, Livermore National Lab work completed work on the mouse genome as part of Laboratory efforts in comparative genomics – analyzing and comparing the genetic material of different species to better understand inherited diseases and the function of human genes (what they do and why).

Research was completed on the mouse genome as part of the lab’s scientific efforts in comparative genomics, analyzing and comparing the genetic material of different species to better understand inherited diseases and the function of human genes. Studies show that the genes of humans and mice are 85 percent identical.

The international science community celebrated completion of the first draft of the human genome in 2001. A year prior, researchers from the Biosciences and Biotechnology Division (BBTD), and Lawrence Berkeley and Los Alamos national laboratories at the Joint Genome Institute announced that they had decoded in draft form, the genetic information of human chromosomes 5, 16 and 19. The chromosomes contain 10,000 to 15,000 genes, whose defects may lead to diseases such as diabetes, leukemia and atherosclerosis.