For Immediate Release

From: kathycarr@futurefoundation.org
Subject: For Immediate Release: Kistler Prize Winner Dr. J. Craig Venter
Date: September 8, 2008 5:41:04 PM EDT
To: inthenearfuture@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Foundation For the Future Names Dr. J. Craig Venter 2008 Winner of $100,000
Kistler Prize

BELLEVUE, WA, Sept. 8, 2008 - The Foundation For the Future has selected
genome research pioneer Dr. J. Craig Venter as the 2008 winner of the
Kistler Prize. The Prize is awarded annually for original work that
significantly increases knowledge and understanding of the relationship
between the human genome and society.

Dr. Venter is being honored for a body of pioneering work in genome science.
He is currently Chairman and President of J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI),
Rockville, MD, a not-for-profit research institute 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. Venter came to
prominence in scientific circles in 1991 for his novel technique for rapid
gene discovery and in 1995 for the first sequencing in history of a genome
of a living species, the bacteria Haemophilus influenzae. In February 2001
he and his team at Celera Genomics published the sequencing and analysis of
the human genome. Since this historic accomplishment, Venter went on to
investigate genomes found in the atmosphere and the oceans. JCVI published
in 2006 findings from ocean sampling that uncovered over six million new
genes and thousands of new protein families from organisms in seawater. In
2007 Venter's own complete individual genome was sequenced and published in
the first-ever publication of a genome sequence of an individual, covering
both chromosome pairs. At present, JCVI continues pioneering work toward the
creation of a fully synthetic organism.

"For nearly two decades, the name most commonly associated with genome
research is that of Craig Venter," said Sesh Velamoor, Deputy Director,
Programs, for the Foundation. "His work, especially the recent sequencing
and analysis of his individual genome, has laid the groundwork for the
promise of truly individualized medicine and health care, which will greatly
impact the long-term future of humanity. Venter goes fearlessly where no one
has gone before in understanding genomes in general and the human genome in
particular."

Dr. Venter's work is recounted in his book A Life Decoded: My Genome: My
Life (Penguin, 2007). His research, often considered controversial, has met
with bitter confrontations and strenuous objections. "It is this kind of
dedication to and rigorous pursuit of scientific research, with courage and
conviction despite criticism and opposition, that the Kistler Prize was
created to recognize," said Walter Kistler, originator of the Prize.

The Kistler Prize includes a cash award of US$100,000 and a 180-gram gold
medallion. It is named for Walter P. Kistler, President and benefactor of
the Foundation For the Future, who will formally present the 2008 award to
Dr. Venter in a gala banquet and ceremony in Seattle on September 11, 2008.
The black-tie, invitation-only event is expected to be attended by
scientists, social scientists, technologists, and other scholars from all
over the world.

Besides the Kistler Prize, Foundation For the Future awards the Walter P.
Kistler Book Award. Other awards are the Walter P. Kistler Science
Documentary Film Award and the Walter P. Kistler Science Teacher Award. The
Foundation convenes seminars, workshops, and symposia that focus on the
long-term future of humanity, and it is presently developing a four-program
television documentary series entitled The Next Thousand Years. It also
funds research programs, publishes scholarly works, and undertakes public
awareness and education programs concerning the long-term future of
humanity. Details on its activities are available at
www.futurefoundation.org.

###

Contacts:

Sesh Velamoor
Deputy Director, Programs
seshvelamoor@futurefoundation.org
425-451-1333 x1024

Jean Gilbertson
Mgr, Public Relations
jeangilbertson@futurefoundation.org
425-451-1333 x1013