One Gene Fits All
This blogs subtitle is “Ramblings of an Amateur Futurist” and I figure I better post something futuristic…lol
I caught this today regarding the relatively affordable cost of gene sequencing. $5000! According to WikiAnswers, the average cost of an MRIW is between $400-$2000, averaging around $800.
Reid’s promises and data certainly caught the attention of the genomics community, and received decent media interest – the story was covered by New Scientist, Bio-IT World, Nature News and Bloomberg. The reason for the interest is simple: the $5000 genome that Complete is promising is dirt cheap by the current standards of genomics, and suddenly puts a lot of extremely valuable research projects – and even personal genome sequencing of individuals – within affordable reach.
So taking the high end of the MRIW experience of which I can personally say it’s more like $3000, but I digress, that is only $2000-$3000 less than a complete gene sequencing. Just 5-10 years more and we are going to be getting our genes sequenced as a matter of course. Couple this with advanced (today) gene therapy and we are just 50 years out from personalized medicine on an incredibly individualized scale.
Daniel MacArther goes on to quiz the company Complete.
So, can Complete deliver an accurate, complete human genome sequence at the promised price? While Reid’s presentation was impressive, I was left with a number of questions about the company’s technical approach and business model. I put these questions to Complete’s CEO Clifford Reid and CSO Rade Drmanac on Saturday morning.
Genetic Future : Complete Genomics: some questions answered
What a very exciting time to be alive.
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