Craig Venter has died
Craig Venter has died
克雷格·文特尔（Craig Venter）逝世
29-Apr-2026 Press Release J. Craig Venter, genomics pioneer and founder of JCVI and Diploid Genomics, Inc., dies at 79 La Jolla, California—April 29, 2026—The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) announced that J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., the Institute’s founder, board chair, and chief executive officer, died today in San Diego following a brief hospitalization for unexpected side effects that arose from treatment of recently diagnosed cancer.
2026年4月29日新闻稿：基因组学先驱、JCVI及Diploid Genomics公司创始人J. Craig Venter博士于79岁逝世。加利福尼亚州拉霍亚——2026年4月29日——J. Craig Venter研究所（JCVI）宣布，该研究所创始人、董事会主席兼首席执行官J. Craig Venter博士于今日在圣地亚哥逝世。此前，他因近期确诊癌症的治疗引发了意想不到的副作用，并为此进行了短暂的住院治疗。
Dr. Venter was a visionary scientific leader whose work helped define modern genomics and launch the field of synthetic biology. He drove scientific and technological change by building interdisciplinary teams, pushing for bold ideas and faster methods, and insisting that discovery should translate into real-world impact. He was also a fierce advocate for robust federal science funding and for partnerships that accelerate progress across government, academia, and industry.
Venter博士是一位富有远见的科学领袖，他的工作定义了现代基因组学并开创了合成生物学领域。他通过组建跨学科团队、推动大胆的构想与更快捷的方法，并坚持科学发现应转化为现实世界的影响力，从而推动了科学技术的变革。他也是联邦科学经费投入的坚定倡导者，并积极推动政府、学术界和产业界之间的合作，以加速科学进步。
“Craig believed that science moves forward when people are willing to think differently, move decisively, and build what doesn’t yet exist,” said Anders Dale, president of JCVI. “His leadership and vision reshaped genomics and helped ignite synthetic biology. We will honor his legacy by continuing the mission he built—advancing genomic science, championing the public investments that make discovery possible, and partnering broadly to turn knowledge into impact.”
“Craig坚信，当人们愿意换个角度思考、果断行动并创造出尚不存在的事物时，科学才会向前发展，”JCVI总裁Anders Dale表示。“他的领导力和远见重塑了基因组学，并点燃了合成生物学的火种。我们将通过继续他所建立的使命来纪念他的遗产——推进基因组科学，支持使科学发现成为可能的公共投资，并进行广泛合作，将知识转化为影响力。”
Across his career, Dr. Venter helped move genomics from slow, gene-by-gene discovery to scalable, data-driven science—and then helped take the next step: demonstrating that genomes could be designed and constructed.
在整个职业生涯中，Venter博士推动基因组学从缓慢的、逐个基因发现的模式，转向可扩展的、数据驱动的科学——随后又迈出了关键的一步：证明了基因组是可以被设计和构建的。
At the National Institutes of Health, he helped pioneer gene discovery using expressed sequence tags (ESTs), enabling rapid identification of large numbers of human genes and accelerating genome mapping efforts.
在美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）工作期间，他利用表达序列标签（ESTs）开创了基因发现的先河，实现了对大量人类基因的快速识别，并加速了基因组图谱绘制工作。
He went on to lead efforts that produced the first draft sequences of the human genome, a milestone that helped usher biology into the digital age. He and colleagues later published the first high-quality diploid human genome, demonstrating the importance of capturing genetic variation inherited from both parents.
随后，他领导了人类基因组首个草图序列的绘制工作，这一里程碑事件帮助生物学进入了数字时代。他和同事们后来发布了首个高质量的二倍体人类基因组，证明了捕获遗传自双亲的基因变异的重要性。
In synthetic biology, Dr. Venter and his teams achieved a landmark by constructing the first self-replicating bacterial cell controlled by a chemically synthesized genome—proof that genomes could be designed digitally, built from chemical components, and “booted up” to run a living cell.
在合成生物学领域，Venter博士及其团队取得了一项标志性成就：构建了首个由化学合成基因组控制的自我复制细菌细胞。这证明了基因组可以通过数字方式设计、由化学成分构建，并能像计算机程序一样“启动”以驱动活细胞运行。
He also pursued scientific discovery at global scale. Through the Sorcerer II Global Ocean Sampling Expedition, Dr. Venter and his teams used metagenomics to reveal extraordinary microbial diversity, reporting the discovery of millions of new genes and expanding the known universe of protein families—work that deepened understanding of the ocean microbiome and its role in planetary systems.
他还致力于全球范围内的科学探索。通过“巫师二号”（Sorcerer II）全球海洋采样考察，Venter博士及其团队利用宏基因组学揭示了非凡的微生物多样性，报告了数百万个新基因的发现，并扩展了人类已知的蛋白质家族领域。这项工作加深了人们对海洋微生物组及其在行星系统中所扮演角色的理解。
Beyond his scientific achievements, Dr. Venter was a builder: of teams, platforms, and institutions designed to take big scientific bets. In addition to founding JCVI, he was a serial entrepreneur who co-founded Synthetic Genomics, Inc., Human Longevity, Inc., and most recently Diploid Genomics, Inc., advancing efforts to translate genomics and synthetic biology into tools for health and society.
除了科学成就外，Venter博士还是一位建设者：他组建团队、搭建平台、创立机构，旨在进行重大的科学博弈。除了创立JCVI，他还是一位连续创业者，共同创立了Synthetic Genomics, Inc.、Human Longevity, Inc.以及最近的Diploid Genomics, Inc.，致力于将基因组学和合成生物学转化为造福人类健康与社会的工具。
The Institute asks that the privacy of Dr. Venter’s family be respected. Additional information regarding memorial arrangements will be shared when available.
研究所恳请各界尊重Venter博士家人的隐私。有关追悼会安排的更多信息将在确定后发布。
About J. Craig Venter Institute 关于J. Craig Venter研究所
The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) is a not-for-profit research institute in Rockville, Maryland and La Jolla, California dedicated to the advancement of the science of genomics; the understanding of its implications for society; and communication of those results to the scientific community, the public, and policymakers.
J. Craig Venter研究所（JCVI）是一家位于马里兰州罗克维尔和加利福尼亚州拉霍亚的非营利性研究机构，致力于推进基因组学科学的发展，理解其对社会的意义，并将研究成果传达给科学界、公众和政策制定者。
Founded by J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., JCVI is home to approximately 120 scientists and staff with expertise in synthetic biology, human and evolutionary biology, genetics, bioinformatics/informatics, information technology, high-throughput DNA sequencing, genomic and environmental policy research, and public education in science and science policy. JCVI is a 501(c)(3) organization. For additional information, please visit www.jcvi.org.
JCVI由J. Craig Venter博士创立，拥有约120名科学家和工作人员，他们在合成生物学、人类与进化生物学、遗传学、生物信息学/信息学、信息技术、高通量DNA测序、基因组与环境政策研究以及科学与科学政策的公众教育方面拥有专业知识。JCVI是一家501(c)(3)非营利组织。如需更多信息，请访问 www.jcvi.org。