INTRODUCTION TO THE PROGRAMME

Following the determination of the information content of many genomes as specified in DNA sequences, genomics research is focused more and more on elucidating the functions of gene products and their translation into the complex organisation of cells, tissues and organisms. These are the essential goals of functional genomics, the exploration of gene function on a global scale. Functional genomics investigations typically utilise large-scale assays in which many of the genes or proteins of an organism can be measured and tracked in parallel through space and time or under different environmental conditions. Revolutionary technologies, such as microarrays, are used, capable of high sample throughput and producing vast amounts of data requiring computational processing for interpretation. With the increasing assimilation of data by bioinformatics tools, integration into systems-level understanding (‘systems biology') has become a primary objective. Thus, functional genomics impacts in the most fundamental way on biological understanding, from individual molecules to cellular organisation and the physiology of whole organisms and their dysfunction in disease. The objectives of this programme are to promote, integrate and disseminate research knowledge in functional genomics and systems biology in Europe and to explore the implications for biomedicine, the environment and society at large.

Since the beginning of the previous ESF programme in functional genomics in November 2000, there has been rapid progress, especially following the completion of the human genome sequence. Major technological and bioinformatics advances include RNAi for gene knockdown, the increasing application of miniaturised array based methods and nanotechnology and the emergence of the holistic concept of systems biology. A central focus of this programme is the application of functional genomics in biomedicine, including epigenetic control of gene expression and its implications for oncology, the study of gene expression patterns in the nervous system and their association with neurological diseases, and the possibility of predicting individual susceptibilities to disease and drug responses and designing personalised medical interventions. While the completion of the human genome sequence was the major development during the period of the programme, the genomes of numerous other species have also been completed, providing comparative insights into gene function and greater understanding of the organisation and development of ecosystems. All these developments can be of potential benefit to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and hence for society, for example through new drug development, but at the same time raise ethical and legal concerns which will require informed discussion. In ‘Frontiers in Functional Genomics' these issues will be addressed using the successful instruments of workshops, conferences, training courses, grants for transnational research visits and website.