The post Biotechnology Update: The $1,000 DNA Sequencer Has Arrived appeared first on Techso Mogro.
]]>How will the HiSeq X Ten change the science? Large factory-scale sequencing of human population groups is now possible. Scientists will be able to study mutations, random drift and how natural selection generates diversity including creating causal agents for disease with attendant increased risk to specific populations. By implementing DNA sequencing on a national scale governments will have a better understanding of disease risk and be able to improve healthcare delivery.
The promise of a $1,000 cost for sequencing human DNA has been in the works for awhile. Other developers such as Life Technologies have also been chasing the dream of driving the cost of DNA sequencing to the $1,000 level or lower. The Ion Proton sequencer, which is Life Technologies product, is priced at $149,000 U.S. and can sequence an entire human genome in a day. It is not designed for factory-scale sequencing but is indicative of a trend that says genome sequencing like so many other technologies is within reach of becoming commonly available at an affordable price.
Will we see sequencers in every doctor’s office within the decade? Certainly not the HiSeq X Ten, but smaller versions of these machines will become affordable and readily available. Soon when you go for a physical your doctor will offer you the option of mapping your genome. Will you say yes?
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