The Third Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) annual world congress closed Thursday in Beijing.

The congress reviewed the progress of the Human Proteome Project (HPP), launched two years ago, and presented 2004 HUPO awards to the Chinese Science and Technology Ministry and four experts from the China-led Human Liver Proteome Project.

The HPP, which was finished in April, 2003, aims to identify all the proteins encoded in the human genome in order to decode the human genome sequencing. HPP began initiatives on plasma and liver in November, 2002, marking the official launch of the project.

The meeting reviewed all six HPP initiatives: the Human Liver Proteome Project (HLPP), led by China; the Human Plasma Proteome Project (HPPP), led by the United States; the Human Brain Proteome Project (HBPP), led by Germany; the Human Antibody Initiative (HAI), led by Switzerland; the Human Proteomics Standards Initiative (HPSI), led by Britain; and the HUPO Mouse & Rat Proteome (HMRPP), led by Canada. It also accepted a Japanese initiative on glycoproteome.

According to HUPO president John Bergeron, the HPPP has made tremendous progress in characterizing proteins of plasma. The HLPP has finished two projects on fatal liver disease and on human samples sent by France. The HBPP is in the preparation stage. The HAI has raised very high quality antibodies which facilitate other projects. All the data are collected by the HPSI to establish a standardized research model. Bergeron described the Japanese project on glycoproteome as "unbelievably ambitious."

"The Proteome Project is 100 times more difficult than the Genome Sequencing Project," said Samir Hanash, president of HUPO initiative committee. Fortunately, he said, the HPP projects feed on each other by sharing data and experience.

HLPP, led by China, is the first to have submitted its first round of data analysis. This is the first time China has led a global collaboration research in life sciences.

At the closing ceremony, the HUPO committee presented the HUPO Outstanding Contribution Award to China's Science and Technology Ministry and other four annual awards to experts in the China-led HLPP to express appreciation to the success of the HLPP.

The Memorial Investigation Award was awarded to He Fuchuand, HLPP president. The Distinguished Achievement Award in Proteonics was awarded to Rolf Apweiler from European Bioinformatics Institute and Angelika Gorg from Munich University of Technology, Germany. The Distinguished Service Award was awarded to Young-Ki Paik, the Korean Human Proteome Organization. All of them are key participants of the HLPP.

"On one hand, the project will have profound impact on the development of China's life sciences research. On the other, this is a wonderful opportunity for Chinese scientists to demonstrate their competence to world peers," said He Fuchu.