Structural genomics programs at the US National Institute of General Medical Sciences

The results of genome sequencing projects and recent advances in structure determination have ushered in structural genomics, a new field focused on the large-scale analysis of protein structures and functions based on gene sequences. In response, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) announced its "Protein Structure Initiative", which is designed to organize a large, cooperative effort in structural genomics. NIGMS is a component of the US National Institutes of Health that supports basic biomedical research, including a major program in structural biology.