Comparative Genomics of Hepatitis C virus for Broad Institute Viral Genomics Initiative

Broad's Viral Genomics Initiative focuses on four viruses: HCV, HIV, Dengue, and WNV. The scale and specific aims of each project varies, but they all are centered on understanding sequence variation as it relates to disease outcome and how the viruses evolve under host immune pressure. The classification of the Hepatitis C virus is still complex, despite an earlier effort to create some order (Robertson et al., 1998), and at the subtype level the confusion is growing with the number of sequence fragments. One important reason is the fact that for many geno/subtypes, only small fragments have been sequenced. This means that misclassifications can very easily arise. This project is a collaborative effort to sequence complete genomes of the HCV variants that are now known and have not been completely sequenced yet. A quick inventory among scientists working in this field shows that nomenclature and classification is regarded as a significant problem. This project seeks to resolve these issues.