A central emphasis of the human genome project is at the present time on the development of novel physical and biochemical technologies for genome mapping. Such methods will involve not only means of obtaining direct base pair by base pair sequences but also the generation of lower resolution large scale physical maps that will make it possible to arrange the individual blocks of sequences into a single map. The purpose of this meeting is to bring together experts from Europe, Japan and the United States in order to examine and evaluate new approaches and needed developments of genome technologies and methods. Areas which will specifically be examined include the use of various imaging technologies for the generation of genomic maps. Light and electron microscopic imaging will be examined as well as scanning tunneling EM to directly map DNA. These methods will be compared to others such as the semi-automated gel electrophoretic methods. Nucleic acid tagging methodologies will also be examined. The hope is that critical examination of the advantages and disadvantages of these different methods will lead to a consensus on which should be pursued further. The combination of overview presentations, talks on specific areas, and workshops, all of which will occur in this meeting, should provide a much clearer picture of where the current focus of mapping is and how individual efforts as well as the study of other animal and plant genomes fit into the larger picture. Given the international character of this meeting, Alaska, which is easily accessible and attractive for American, European and Japanese researchers and policy makers, is an ideal setting for this conference.
