The University of Illinois was awarded a $10 million USDA grant to obtain a draft sequence of the pig genome.
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the grant on January 13, 2006 recognizing that "pork is the major red meat consumed worldwide … [and] sequencing the pig genome will have a significant impact on U.S. agriculture." Unraveling the pig genome could lead to unique ways to improve swine health and possibly human health as well given the similarities between the human and pig genomes.
The grant will be administered by the USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) through the National Research Institute which supports grants that address key problems of national, regional and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of agricultur
The University of Illinois will collaborate with several other national and international institutions on the project.
Source: USDA