Ever heard of the Human Genome Project? Probably. It was a groundbreaking scientific program that sought to map the human genome in it’s entirety. Fairly impressive. It’s initial cost was 3 billion U.S dollars in 1990. In 2008 the lowest reported cost for an individual genome sequencing was 250,000 dollars and took a staff of about 200. Today it was announced that a Stanford professor sequenced his own genome for under 50,000 dollars, using a refrigerator sized machine and a staff of two. The secret? A process called True Single Molecule Sequencing. You can read the news release HERE.
It’s easy to think, “So what?”, but the benefits of a genetic mapping may sometime in the future be an essential part of health care. Here’s a segment from the article:
Quake’s genome has already yielded a few interesting connections between his genetics and his health. One is that he carries a rare mutation associated with a heart disorder; the revelation, he said, sheds light on what members of his family have always wondered with regard to the health of prior generations. The good news, he said, is that he’s also apparently genetically predisposed to respond well to common cholesterol-lowering statin medicines.
Obviously this is going to raise many questions in the medical (and moral) field. What a good debate to have. So healthy. So conducive to a thriving, technologically savvy society.
I hope you have a wonderful, healthy, albeit non-genetically sequenced week!
Love,
Chris
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