Venter was born inSalt Lake City, Utah, the son of Elisabeth and John Venter.[9][10]: 14 His family moved toMillbrae, California during his childhood.[11] In his youth, he did not take his education seriously, preferring to spend his time on the water in boats or surfing.[10]: 1–20 According to his biography,A Life Decoded, he was said never to be a terribly engaged student, having Cs and Ds on his eighth-grade report cards.[10]: 1–20 Venter considered that his behavior in his adolescence was indicative ofattention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and later found ADHD-linked genetic variants in his own DNA.[12] He graduated fromMills High School. His father died suddenly at age 59 from cardiac arrest, giving him a lifelong awareness of his own mortality. He quotes a saying: "If you want immortality, do something meaningful with your life."[13]
Although he opposed theVietnam War,[14] Venter was drafted and enlisted in theUnited States Navy where he worked as ahospital corpsman in the intensive-care ward of a field hospital.[15] He served from 1967 to 1968 at theNaval Support Activity Danang in Vietnam. While in Vietnam, he attempted suicide by swimming out to sea, but changed his mind more than a mile out.[16]Being confronted with severely injured and dying marines on a daily basis instilled in him a desire to study medicine,[17] although he later switched tobiomedical research.
While an employee of theNIH, Venter learned how to identifymRNA and began to learn more about those expressed in the human brain. The shortcDNA sequence fragments Venter discovered by automatedDNA sequencing, he namedexpressed sequence tags, or ESTs. TheNIH Office of Technology Transfer decided to file a patent on the ESTs discovered by Venter,patenting the genes identified based on studies ofmRNA expression in the human brain. When Venter disclosed the NIH strategy during a Congressional hearing, a firestorm of controversy erupted.[22] The NIH later stopped the effort and abandoned the patent applications it had filed, following public outcry.[23]
Venter was passionate about the power of genomics to transform healthcare radically. Venter believed thatshotgun sequencing was the fastest and most effective way to get useful human genome data.[24] The method was rejected by the Human Genome Project however, since some geneticists felt it would not be accurate enough for a genome as complicated as that of humans, that it would be logistically more difficult, and that it would cost significantly more.[25][26]
Venter viewed the slow pace of progress in the Human Genome project as an opportunity to continue his interest in trying his shotgun sequencing method to speed up the human genome sequencing so when he was offered funding from a DNA sequencing company to startCelera Genomics.[27] The company planned to profit from their work by creating genomic data to which users could subscribe for a fee. The goal consequently put pressure on the public genome program and spurred several groups to redouble their efforts to produce the full sequence. Venter's effort won him renown as he and his team atCelera Corporation shared credit for sequencing the first draft human genome with the publicly fundedHuman Genome Project.[28]
In 2000, Venter andFrancis Collins of theNational Institutes of Health and U.S. Public Genome Project jointly made the announcement of the mapping of the human genome, a full three years ahead of the expected end of the Public Genome Program. The announcement was made along with U.S. PresidentBill Clinton, and UK Prime MinisterTony Blair.[29] Venter and Collins thus shared an award for "Biography of the Year" fromA&E Network.[30]On February 15, 2001, the Human Genome Project consortium published the first Human Genome in the journalNature, followed one day later by a Celera publication inScience.[31][32] Despite some claims thatshotgun sequencing was in some ways less accurate than the clone-by-clone method chosen by the Human Genome Project,[33] the technique became widely accepted by the scientific community.
Venter was fired by Celera in early 2002.[34] According to his biography, Venter was fired because of a conflict with the main investor, Tony White, specifically barring him from attending the White House ceremony celebrating the achievement of sequencing the human genome.
TheGlobal Ocean Sampling Expedition (GOS) is anocean explorationgenome project with the goal of assessing thegenetic diversity inmarinemicrobial communities and to understand their role in nature's fundamental processes. Begun as a Sargasso Sea pilot sampling project in August 2003, the full Expedition was announced by Venter on March 4, 2004. The project, which used Venter's personal yacht,Sorcerer II, started in Halifax, Canada, circumnavigated the globe and returned to the U.S. in January 2006.[35]
J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland, location
In June 2005, Venter co-foundedSynthetic Genomics, a firm dedicated to using modifiedmicroorganisms to produceclean fuels and biochemicals. In July 2009,ExxonMobil announced a $600 million collaboration with Synthetic Genomics to research and develop next-generationbiofuels.[36] Venter continues to work on the creation of engineered diatomic microalgae for the production of biofuels.[37][38][39]
Venter is seeking to patent the first partially synthetic species possibly to be namedMycoplasma laboratorium.[40] There is speculation that this line of research could lead to producing bacteria that have been engineered to perform specific reactions, for example, producefuels, make medicines, combatglobal warming, and so on.[41]
In May 2010, a team of scientists led by Venter became the first to create successfully what was described as "synthetic life".[42][43] This was done by synthesizing a very long DNA molecule containing an entire bacteriumgenome, and introducing this into anothercell, analogous to the accomplishment ofEckard Wimmer's group, who synthesized and ligated anRNA virus genome and "booted" it in cell lysate.[44] The single-celled organism contains four "watermarks"[45]written into its DNA to identify it as synthetic and to help trace its descendants. The watermarks include
On March 25, 2016, Venter reported the creation of Syn 3.0, a synthetic genome having the fewest genes of any freely living organism (473 genes). Their aim was to strip away all nonessential genes, leaving only the minimal set necessary to support life.This stripped-down, fast reproducing cell is expected to be a valuable tool for researchers in the field.[47]
In August 2018, Venter retired as chairman of the board, saying he wanted to focus on his work at the J. Craig Venter Institute. He will remain as a scientific advisor to the board.[48]
In April 2022 Venter sold the La Jolla JCVI facility to theUniversity of California, San Diego for $25 million. Venter will continue to lead a separate nonprofit research group, also known as the J. Craig Venter Institute, and stressed that he is not retiring. The Venter Institute has out grown its current building with multiple new facility hires and will be moving into new space in 2025.[13]
On September 4, 2007, a team led by Sam Levy published one of the first genomes of an individual human—Venter's own DNA sequence.[49] Some of the sequences in Venter's genome are associated with wet earwax,[50] increased risk of antisocial behavior,Alzheimer's andcardiovascular diseases.[10]
The browser enables scientists to navigate the HuRef genome assembly and sequence variations, and to compare it with the NCBI human build 36 assembly in the context of theNCBI andEnsembl annotations. The browser provides a comparative view between NCBI and HuRef consensus sequences, the sequence multi-alignment of the HuRef assembly, Ensembl and dbSNP annotations, HuRef variants, and the underlying variant evidence and functional analysis. The interface also represents thehaplotype blocks from which diploid genome sequence can be inferred and the relation of variants to gene annotations. The display of variants and gene annotations are linked to external public resources includingdbSNP, Ensembl,Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) andGene Ontology (GO).
Users can search the HuRef genome using HUGO gene names, Ensembl and dbSNP identifiers, HuRefcontig or scaffold locations, or NCBI chromosome locations. Users can then easily and quickly browse any genomic region via the simple and intuitive pan and zoom controls; furthermore, data relevant to specific loci can be exported for further analysis.
On March 4, 2014, Venter and co-foundersPeter Diamandis and Robert Hariri announced the formation ofHuman Longevity, Inc., a company focused on extending the healthy, "high performance" human lifespan.[51][52] At the time of the announcement the company had already raised $70 million inventure financing, which was expected to last 18 months.[51][52] Venter served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) until May 2018, when he retired. The company said that it plans to sequence 40,000 genomes per year, with an initial focus oncancer genomes and the genomes of cancer patients.[51]
Human Longevity filed a lawsuit in 2018 against Venter, accusing him of stealing trade secrets. Allegations were made stating that Venter had departed with his company computer that contained valuable information that could be used to start a competing business.[53] The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed by a California judge on the basis that Human Longevity were unable to present a case that met the legal threshold required for a company, or individual, to sue when its trade secrets have been stolen.[54]
Venter is the author of three books, the first of which is an autobiography titledA Life Decoded.[10] In Venter's second book,Life at the Speed of Light, he announced his theory that this is the generation in which there appears to be a dovetailing of the two previously diverse fields of science represented by computer programming and the genetic programming of life by DNA sequencing.[56] He was applauded for his position on this by futuristRay Kurzweil. Venter's most recent book, co-authored byDavid Ewing Duncan,The Voyage of Sorcerer II: The Expedition that Unlocked the Secrets of the Ocean’s Microbiome,[57] details theGlobal Ocean Sampling Expedition, spanning a 15-year period during which microbes from the world's oceans were collected and their DNA sequenced.
After a 12-year marriage toBarbara Rae-Venter,[58][59] with whom he had a son, Christopher, he marriedClaire M. Fraser[60][21] remaining married to her until 2005.[61] In late 2008 he married Heather Kowalski.[62] They live in theLa Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, CA.[62] Venter is an atheist.[63]
Venter was 75 when he sold his main research building to UCSD in 2022. The institute had out grown the space and will be moving to a new facility in 2025. The Venter Institute campus in Rockville MD also continues to expand. He said he has no intention of retiring.[13] He has a home in La Jolla and a ranch inBorrego Springs, California, as well as homes in two small towns in Maine. He indulges in two passions: sailing and flying a Cirrus 22T plane, which he calls "the ultimate freedom".[13]
Venter gave the Distinguished Public Lecture during the 2007 Michaelmas Term at the James Martin 21st Century School at Oxford University. Its title was "Genomics – From humans to the environment".[73][74]
Venter delivered the 2008 convocation speech for Faculty of Science honours and specialization students at theUniversity of Alberta.[75]
In February 2008, he gave a speech about his current work at theTED conference.[76]
Venter was featured inTime magazine's "The Top 10 Everything of 2008" article. Number three in 2008's Top 10 Scientific Discoveries was a piece outlining his work stitching together the 582,000 base pairs necessary to invent the genetic information for a whole new bacterium.[77]
On May 20, 2010, Venter announced the creation of first self-replicating semi-synthetic bacterial cell.[78]
In the June 2011 issue ofMen's Journal, Venter was featured as the "Survival Skills" celebrity of the month. He shared various anecdotes and advice, including stories of his time inVietnam, as well as mentioning a bout withmelanoma on his back, which subsequently resulted in his "givinga pound of flesh" to surgery.[79]
Venter, J. C.; Adams, M.; Myers, E.; Li, P.; Mural, R.; Sutton, G.; Smith, H.; Yandell, M.; Evans, C.; Holt, R. A.; Gocayne, J. D.; Amanatides, P.; Ballew, R. M.; Huson, D. H.; Wortman, J. R.; Zhang, Q.; Kodira, C. D.; Zheng, X. H.; Chen, L.; Skupski, M.; Subramanian, G.; Thomas, P. D.; Zhang, J.; Gabor Miklos, G. L.; Nelson, C.; Broder, S.; Clark, A. G.; Nadeau, J.; McKusick, V. A.; et al. (2001)."The Sequence of the Human Genome".Science.291 (5507):1304–1351.Bibcode:2001Sci...291.1304V.doi:10.1126/science.1058040.PMID11181995.
Venter, J. C.; Remington, K.; Heidelberg, J.; Halpern, A.; Rusch, D.; Eisen, J.; Wu, D.; Paulsen, I.; Nelson, K.; Nelson, W.; Fouts, D. E.; Levy, S.; Knap, A. H.; Lomas, M. W.; Nealson, K.; White, O.; Peterson, J.; Hoffman, J.; Parsons, R.; Baden-Tillson, H.; Pfannkoch, C.; Rogers, Y. H.; Smith, H. O. (2004). "Environmental Genome Shotgun Sequencing of the Sargasso Sea".Science.304 (5667):66–74.Bibcode:2004Sci...304...66V.CiteSeerX10.1.1.124.1840.doi:10.1126/science.1093857.PMID15001713.S2CID1454587.
^J. Craig Venter (2007)."Introduction".A Life Decoded. Viking.ISBN978-0-670-06358-1.OCLC165048736.For many years I have been trying to make sense and meaning out of the lives I saw destroyed or maimed due to the government policies that involved us in the war in Vietnam.
^Roberts, Leslie (October 11, 1991). "Genome patent fight erupts: an NIH plan to patent thousands of random DNA sequences will discourage industrial investment and undercut the Genome Project itself, the plan's critics charge".Science.254 (5029):184–186.Bibcode:1991Sci...254..184R.doi:10.1126/science.1925568.PMID1925568.S2CID32742062.
^Singer, Emily (September 4, 2007)."Craig Venter's Genome".MIT Technology Review. Archived fromthe original on June 7, 2011. RetrievedOctober 12, 2014.The genome we published at Celera was a composite of five people. ... After leaving Celera in 2002, Venter announced that much of the genome that had been sequenced there was his own.
^Venter, J. C.; Adams, M.; Myers, E.; Li, P.; Mural, R.; Sutton, G.; Smith, H.; Yandell, M.; Evans, C.; Holt, R. A.; Gocayne, J. D.; Amanatides, P.; Ballew, R. M.; Huson, D. H.; Wortman, J. R.; Zhang, Q.; Kodira, C. D.; Zheng, X. H.; Chen, L.; Skupski, M.; Subramanian, G.; Thomas, P. D.; Zhang, J.; Gabor Miklos, G. L.; Nelson, C.; Broder, S.; Clark, A. G.; Nadeau, J.; McKusick, V. A.; et al. (2001)."The Sequence of the Human Genome".Science.291 (5507):1304–1351.Bibcode:2001Sci...291.1304V.doi:10.1126/science.1058040.PMID11181995.
^Karas, Bogumil J.; Diner, Rachel E.; Lefebvre, Stephane C.; McQuaid, Jeff; Phillips, Alex P.R.; Noddings, Chari M.; Brunson, John K.; Valas, Ruben E.; Deerinck, Thomas J.; Jablanovic, Jelena; Gillard, Jeroen T.F.; Beeri, Karen; Ellisman, Mark H.; Glass, John I.; Hutchison III, Clyde A.; Smith, Hamilton O.; Venter, J. Craig; Allen, Andrew E.; Dupont, Christopher L.; Weyman, Philip D. (April 21, 2015)."Designer diatom episomes delivered by bacterial conjugation".Nature Communications.6: 6925.Bibcode:2015NatCo...6.6925K.doi:10.1038/ncomms7925.PMC4411287.PMID25897682.
^abLin, Sara (March 12, 2010)."Craig Venter's Hangout".The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones. RetrievedJanuary 9, 2011.
^Steve Kroft asked Venter on CBS'Sixty MinutesArchived January 9, 2015, at theWayback Machine, November 21, 2010: "Do you believe in God?" Venter replied, "No. The universe is far more wonderful."
