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How would you feel if you could access all of your genetic code by simply clicking on a button on your iMac? In the near future, such scenarios could very well become a possibility. Illumina, a leading biotech company is the brainchild behind this new phenomenon.
A recent report by CNN's Anna Kattan stated that the sequencing will cost nearly 50K per person. As a nice treat, Illumina will provide an iMac containing all genetic the information for an individual. Kattan's interview with Illumina CEO Jay Flatley revealed that the company expects "only tens maybe hundreds to sign up for the service within the next year." However, Flatley also explained the doors that this technology could open. "It will be people who want to be among the first 100 people ever to be sequenced on the planet," "or it may be people who have particular diseases like cancer who want to see if there is any way to uncover novel information."
While high costs prevent most people from utilizing this technology, Kattan reports that the company will be able to bring the costs down to around a $1000 in the next few years. This brings up an interesting scenario since many people will be able to access, utilize, and even be able to diagnose certain medical conditions.
I feel that this technology will revolutionize the way disorders will be treated in the near future. With people having easy access to their entire genome, medicine will be geared towards trying to diagnose diseases that will occur in the future. This will also cause a change in the mentality of current clinical practice since doctors will not only be under more pressure to cure diseases at the moment, but also start to think about the patient's future symptoms. This will also have a large social impact as well. Since everyone has access to their genome, they will also know the probability of carrying and passing on certain diseases. A person who has a high probability of carrying Huntington's disease will be at a disadvantage to someone who does not.
This is a rapid growing technology, and even though this remains a fraction of Illumina's revenue for now, I doubt it will remain that way in the near future. With social standards becoming ever more demanding, people will be at a race to decode their sequence so that they can be prepared for the future.
Source:
A recent report by CNN's Anna Kattan stated that the sequencing will cost nearly 50K per person. As a nice treat, Illumina will provide an iMac containing all genetic the information for an individual. Kattan's interview with Illumina CEO Jay Flatley revealed that the company expects "only tens maybe hundreds to sign up for the service within the next year." However, Flatley also explained the doors that this technology could open. "It will be people who want to be among the first 100 people ever to be sequenced on the planet," "or it may be people who have particular diseases like cancer who want to see if there is any way to uncover novel information."
While high costs prevent most people from utilizing this technology, Kattan reports that the company will be able to bring the costs down to around a $1000 in the next few years. This brings up an interesting scenario since many people will be able to access, utilize, and even be able to diagnose certain medical conditions.
I feel that this technology will revolutionize the way disorders will be treated in the near future. With people having easy access to their entire genome, medicine will be geared towards trying to diagnose diseases that will occur in the future. This will also cause a change in the mentality of current clinical practice since doctors will not only be under more pressure to cure diseases at the moment, but also start to think about the patient's future symptoms. This will also have a large social impact as well. Since everyone has access to their genome, they will also know the probability of carrying and passing on certain diseases. A person who has a high probability of carrying Huntington's disease will be at a disadvantage to someone who does not.
This is a rapid growing technology, and even though this remains a fraction of Illumina's revenue for now, I doubt it will remain that way in the near future. With social standards becoming ever more demanding, people will be at a race to decode their sequence so that they can be prepared for the future.
Source:
- Kattan, Anna. "Genetic sequencing gets personal." CNN. 2 July 2009. 10 July 2009 .
