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Francis Collins

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For other people named Francis Collins, see Francis Collins (disambiguation).
Francis Collins
Director of the National Institutes of Health
Assumed office
August 7, 2009
Preceded byRaynard Kington (Acting)
Personal details
Born (1950-04-14) April 14, 1950 (age 74)
Staunton, Virginia, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Virginia
Yale University
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Francis Sellers Collins (born April 14, 1950), is an American physician-geneticist noted for his discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the Human Genome Project (HGP). He currently serves as Director of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Prior to being appointed Director, he was the founder and president of the BioLogos Foundation, an organization which promotes discourse on the relationship between science and religion and advocates the perspective that belief in Christianity can be reconciled with acceptance of evolution and science.[1] Collins also wrote the New York Times bestseller, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, which discusses Collins' conversion from atheism to Christianity, evaluates the evidence for Christianity, and argues for theistic evolution.[2] In 2009 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Collins to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.[3]

Early years

Raised on a small farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, Collins was home schooled until the sixth grade.[4] He attended Robert E. Lee High School. Through most of his high school and college years, he aspired to be a chemist, and had little interest in what he then considered the "messy" field of biology. What he refers to as his "formative education" was received at the University of Virginia, where he earned a B.S. in Chemistry in 1970. He went on to attain a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at Yale University in 1974. While at Yale, however, a course in biochemistry sparked his interest in the subject. After consulting with his old mentor from the University of Virginia, Carl Trindle, he changed fields and enrolled in medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning there an M.D. in 1977.

From 1978 to 1981, he served a residency and chief residency in internal medicine at North Carolina Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill. He then returned to Yale, where he was named a Fellow in Human Genetics at the medical school from 1981 to 1984. He worked under the direction of Sherman Weissman, and in 1984 they published an important work, a paper titled Directional cloning of DNA fragments at a large distance from an initial probe: a circularization method.[5] This method was named chromosome jumping, to remark the contrast with the then current method of chromosome walking, that required to walk along the DNA chain.[6]

He joined the University of Michigan in 1984, rising to the rank of Professor of Internal Medicine and Human Genetics. He heightened his reputation as a gene hunter. That gene-hunting approach, which he named "positional cloning",[7][8] developed into a powerful component of modern molecular genetics.

In the 1980s, several scientific teams were working to identify the genes for cystic fibrosis. Toward the end of the decade, progress had been made, but Lap-Chee Tsui, heading the team working at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, considered that a shortcut was needed, to speed up the process. For this purpose, he contacted Francis Collins, who joined the team and used his chromosome jumping technique. subsequently, the gene was discovered in June 1989.[9][10] The discovery was covered by Science Sept 8, 1989.[11] This was soon followed by other scientific teams genetic discoveries, including isolation of the genes for Huntington's disease,[12] neurofibromatosis,[13][14] and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1.[15]

Mention of his guitar playing and motor-cycle riding can often be found in articles about him.[16] Collins' music draws on a sense of humor and fun. While directing the National Human Genome Research Institute, he formed a rock band with other NIH scientists. In its rare appearances, the band entertained selected Maryland and Washington, D.C.-area audiences, such as science writers. Sometimes the band, called "The Directors", dueled with a rock band from Johns Hopkins University, led by cancer researcher Bert Vogelstein. Lyrics of The Directors' songs included spoofs of rock and gospel classics re-written to address the challenges of contemporary biomedical research.[17]

Leadership at NHGRI

Collins accepted an invitation in 1993 to succeed James D. Watson as Director of the National Center for Human Genome Research, which became National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in 1997. As Director, he oversaw the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium.

In 1994, he founded NHGRI's Division of Intramural Research (DIR),[18] a collection of investigator-directed laboratories that conduct genome research on the NIH campus and has developed into one of the nation's premier research centers in human genetics.

The milestones of NHGRI during the time Collins was director are documented in the article List of events in NHGRI history.

A working draft of the human genome was announced in June 2000, and Collins was joined by US President Bill Clinton and biologist Craig Venter in making the announcement.[19] Venter and Collins thus shared the "Biography of the Year" title from A&E Network.[20] An initial analysis was published in February 2001. HGP scientists continued to work toward finishing the sequence of all three billion base pairs by 2003, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Watson and Crick's seminal publication of the structure of DNA. In 2005 Collins and Venter were also honored as two of "America's Best Leaders" by U.S. News & World Report and the Harvard Center for Public Leadership [21] Collins's commitment to free, rapid access to genomic information helped to make all data immediately available to the worldwide scientific community.

One of the main activities at NHGRI during his tenure as director was the composition of the haplotype map of the human genome. The now-completed "hap map" project produced a catalog of genetic variations—called single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)—which is now being widely used to discover genetic variations correlated with disease risk.

In addition to his basic genetic research and scientific leadership, Collins is known for his close attention to ethical and legal issues in genetics. He has been a strong advocate for protecting the privacy of genetic information and has served as a national leader in efforts to prohibit gene-based insurance discrimination.[22] Building on his own experiences as a physician volunteer in a rural missionary hospital in Nigeria,[23] Collins is also very interested in opening avenues for genome research to benefit the health of people living in developing nations.

Collins announced his resignation from NHGRI on May 28, 2008, saying he would continue to lead an intramural research laboratory as a "volunteer"; this will allow several graduate and postdoctoral students to complete projects undertaken under his tenure.[24]

He has received numerous awards and honors, including election to the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences. He was a Kilby International Awards recipient in 1993. In 2007, he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[25] And, in 2008, he was awarded the National Medal of Science.[26]

NIH Director

Collins being sworn in.

On July 8, 2009 President Barack Obama nominated him to the position of Director of the National Institutes of Health.[27] The US Senate unanimously confirmed him for this post, announced by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on August 7, 2009.[28]

According to Science,[29] Collins "is known as a skilled administrator and excellent communicator" and President Obama's nomination of him to lead the NIH "did not come as a big surprise", and produced many praising analysis from researchers and biomedical groups. It also found critics, mainly due to his outspoken Christian faith. Others think that this fact may prove to be positive to establish bridges with those that see gene-based research as contrary to religious values.[30] His appointment was welcomed by the CEO of the AAAS[30] and by Bernadine Healy.[31]

In the summer of 2009 some preeminent scientists were meeting in Cambridge, England, celebrating the hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of publication of "The Origin of Species" and word arrived that President Obama had chosen Collins to head the NIH, and, according to Nobel laureate Harold Varmus who was also present, some of them were alarmed. Varmus had been a NIH director under Bill Clinton, and as such, Collins' boss. He tried to calm the distress by saying that he "is a terrific scientist, and very well organized and a great spokesperson for the N.I.H., has terrific connections in Congress, and is a delightful person to work with".[32] In November 2011, Collins was included on The New Republic's list of Washington's most powerful, least famous people.[33]

In October 2009, shortly after his nomination as NIH director, Collins stated in an interview in the New York Times,“I have made it clear that I have no religious agenda for the N.I.H., and I think the vast majority of scientists have been reassured by that and have moved on.”[34]

On October 1, 2009, Collins appeared for the second time on The Colbert Report, discussing his leadership at the NIH and other topics such as personalized medicine and stem cell research.[35]

Collins was nominated by the National Institutes of Health to be one of the USA Science and Engineering Festival's Nifty Fifty Speakers to speak about his work and career to middle and high school students in October 2010.[36]

A new center at NIH was slated to open in October 2011, and to be called the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) to help develop new drugs. Dr. Collins, frustrated by the declining productivity in the pharmaceutical industry, is leading the effort. For it to work, they have to close one of the 27 institutes already at NIH and give its functions to the new center—something that has never been done before. The idea is to downgrade the National Center for Research Resources, and give some of its functions to NCATS.[37] As of January 2011, over 1000 comments were archived about the proposed NCATS.[38] Nevertheless, in September 2011 there were doubts about the possibility to meet the deadline, because of delays in Congressional approval.[39]

Christianity

Collins has described his parents as "only nominally Christian" and by graduate school he considered himself an atheist. However, dealing with dying patients led him to question his religious views, and he investigated various faiths. He familiarized himself with the evidence for and against God in cosmology, and used Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis[40] as a foundation to re-examine his religious view. He eventually came to a conclusion, and became an Evangelical Christian during a hike on a fall afternoon. He has described himself as a "serious Christian".[22]

In his 2006 book The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, Collins considers scientific discoveries an "opportunity to worship". In his book Collins rejects Young Earth creationism and intelligent design. His own belief is theistic evolution or evolutionary creation which he prefers to term BioLogos. He appeared in December 2006 on The Colbert Report television show and in a March 2007 Fresh Air radio interview to discuss this book.[41][42] While not outspoken on the subject, Collins seems to hold a pro-life view of the abortion issue. In a 1998 interview with Scientific American, he stated that he is "intensely uncomfortable with abortion as a solution to anything" and does not "perceive a precise moment at which life begins other than the moment of conception".[43]

In an interview with National Geographic in February 2007, John Horgan, an agnostic journalist, criticized Collins' description of agnosticism as "a cop-out". In response, Collins clarified his position on agnosticism so as not to include "earnest agnostics who have considered the evidence and still don't find an answer. I was reacting to the agnosticism I see in the scientific community, which has not been arrived at by a careful examination of the evidence. I went through a phase when I was a casual agnostic, and I am perhaps too quick to assume that others have no more depth than I did".[44]

Collins rejects intelligent design, and for this reason was not asked to participate in the 2008 documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Walt Ruloff, a producer for the film, claimed that Collins was "toeing the party line" by rejecting intelligent design, which Collins called "just ludicrous".[45] In 2009, Collins founded the BioLogos Foundation to "contribute to the public voice that represents the harmony of science and faith". He served as the foundation's president until he was confirmed as director of the NIH.[46]

Publications

Books

References

  1. ^ http://biologos.org/about
  2. ^ http://bigthink.com/users/franciscollins
  3. ^ "Pope names NIH director to Vatican think tank". USA Today. October 14, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  4. ^ Google Book Search The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, Chapter 1
  5. ^ Francis S. Collins and Sherman M. Weissman (Nov, 1984). "Directional cloning of DNA fragments at a large distance from an initial probe: a circularization method". Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA. Retrieved 2011-09-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Leon. E. Rosenberg (2006). "Introductory Speech for Francis S. Collins". Retrieved 2011-09-29.
  7. ^ "Positional cloning of human disease genes: a reversal of scientific priorities" (PDF). University of Alberta, Department of Biological Science. Retrieved 2011, Oct. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ Collins, F. Positional Cloning: Let's not call it reverse anymore. Nature Genetics, 1,3-6, 1992
  9. ^ Pines, Maya (2008). "Blazing a Genetic Trail/.../Jumping Toward the Gene". Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Retrieved 2011 Oct. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  10. ^ Pines, Maya (2008). "Stalking a Lethal Gene:Discovering the Gene for Cystic Fibrosis". Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Retrieved 2011 Oct. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  11. ^ Marx, Jean L. (1989-09-08). "The Cystic Fibrosis Gene Is Found" (PDF). Science. Retrieved 2011, Oct. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  12. ^ Macdonald M (1993). "A novel gene containing a trinucleotide repeat that is expanded and unstable on Huntington's disease chromosomes. The Huntington's Disease Collaborative Research Group". Cell. 72 (6): 971–83. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(93)90585-E. PMID 8458085.
  13. ^ Raphael Rubin, David S. Strayer (2008 Baltimore). Rubin's Pathology: Clinicopathologic Foundation of Medicine (5 ed.). Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincot Williams & Wilkins. pp. 201–3. ISBN 978-0-7817-9516-6. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Fauci; et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine (Small textbook) (16 ed.). p. 2453. {{cite book}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |author= (help)
  15. ^ Chandrasekharappa SC, Guru SC, Manickam P, Olufemi SE, Collins FS, Emmert-Buck MR, Debelenko LV, Zhuang Z, Lubensky IA, Liotta LA, Crabtree JS, Wang Y, Roe BA, Weisemann J, Boguski MS, Agarwal SK, Kester MB, Kim YS, Heppner C, Dong Q, Spiegel AM, Burns AL, Marx SJ (1997). "Positional cloning of the gene for multiple endocrine neoplasia-type 1". Science. 276 (5311): 404–7. doi:10.1126/science.276.5311.404. PMID 9103196. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ *"Jesus Goes to Bethesda: Just how religious is Obama's nominee for director of the NIH?". Chris Wilson. Slate. July 9, 2009.
  17. ^ *"Science Writers Entertained By High-Powered Battle Of The Bands". The NIH Catalyst. Celia Hooper. Jan/Feb 1998.
  18. ^ National Human Genome Research Institute (ed.). "The Division of Intramural Research". Retrieved 2011, Oct. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  19. ^ Jamie Shreeve, "The Blueprint of Life," U.S. News and World Report, 10/31/05, URL accessed 30 January 2007.
  20. ^ "Montgomery County, Maryland, Press Releases," December 19, 2000, URL accessed 30 January 2007.
  21. ^ "U.S. News & World Report," 2005, URL accessed 4 February 2008.
  22. ^ a b "Transcript, Bob Abernethy's interview with Dr. Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Project at the National Institutes of Health". PBS, Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. Retrieved 2011, Oct. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  23. ^ "Scientist at work: Francis S. Collins; unlocking the secrets of the Genome". The New York Times. 1993, Nov. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Chemical & Engineering News, Vol. 86 No. 31, Aug. 04, 2008, p. 33, "Francis Collins leaves NIH"
  25. ^ NIH Record - Collins Wins Presidential Medal of Freedom
  26. ^ National Science Foundation - The President's National Medal of Science
  27. ^ http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Announces-Intent-to-Nominate-Francis-Collins-as-NIH-Director/ President Obama Announces Intent to Nominate Francis Collins as Director
  28. ^ a b Secretary Sebelius Announces Senate Confirmation of Dr. Francis Collins as Director of the National Institutes of Health 7-Aug-09
  29. ^ "White House Taps Former Genome Chief Francis Collins as NIH Director". 2009, july. Retrieved 2011, Oct. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  30. ^ a b "Obama picks Francis Collins as new NIH Director". Washington Post. 2009, July, 8. Retrieved 2011, Oct. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  31. ^ Francis Collins Leader for the 21st Century NIH US News & World Report 9-June-09
  32. ^ The Covenant The New Yorker September 6, 2010
  33. ^ The Editors (2011-11-03). "Washington's Most Powerful, Least Famous People". The New Republic. Retrieved 2011-10-25. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  34. ^ Harris, Gardiner (October 6, 2009). "For N.I.H. Chief, Issues of Identity and Culture". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  35. ^ "Francis Collins". The Colbert Report. 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
  36. ^ http://www.usasciencefestival.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74&Itemid=95 retrieved 2010-03-26
  37. ^ [1] [Federal Research Center Will Help Develop Medicines, NY Times, 22 Jan 2011]
  38. ^ [2] [(The 1105 comments received on the proposed NCATS during the first month after Feedback NIH was launched have been archived here. December 8, 2010)]
  39. ^ "Congressional Paralysis Puts NIH Drug-Development Center in Limbo". Scientific American. Sept 5, 2011. Retrieved Oct 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  40. ^ The believer Aug. 7, 2006
  41. ^ "Francis Collins". The Colbert Report. 2006-12-06. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
  42. ^ Fresh Air. 2007-03-29. {{cite episode}}: Check |episodelink= value (help); External link in |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  43. ^ Beardsley, T. (1995) Profile: Where Science and Religion Meet, Scientific American 278(2), 28-29.
  44. ^ Francis Collins: The Scientist as Believer Feb. 2007
  45. ^ Dean, Cornelia (September 27, 2007). "Scientists Feel Miscast in Film on Life's Origin". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  46. ^ BioLogos website
  47. ^ [3], Belief on Amazon.com.
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Preceded by Director of the National Institutes of Health
2009–present 		Incumbent

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