An international research consortium has undertaken an effort to sequence the genomes of at least 1000 people worldwide to create a highly detailed map of human genetic variation for the study of disease. The “1000 Genomes Project” will receive major support from Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, UK, from Beijing Genomics Institute, Shenzhen, in China, and from the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Md. The map would enable researchers to more quickly zero in on disease-related genetic variants to gain information that could help them develop strategies for diagnosing, treating and preventing common diseases.