Another Step Towards a Personal Genomics Revolution

Stanford Professor Stephen Quake Sequenced His Own Genome, Affordably.

Stanford Professor Stephen Quake announced today that he sequenced his own genome at a cost of only $48,000, with the help of only two other people, and in just a few weeks. Despite the fact that the machine he used retails for about a million dollars, this is a large step towards a future of affordable, personal genomics.

While this wasn’t the first genome to be sequenced (there are about a dozen others, including scientific “vigilante” Craig Venter, and DNA co-discoverer James Watson), the speed and cost of the sequencing proves an important improvement over previous accomplishments. Personal genomics could lead to an industry of personalized medicine that could expedite recovery and increase effectiveness of treatment and prevention of diseases and other illnesses.

On the back of this achievement, expect to see many more personal genomic libraries in the near future.

Related posts:

1. Inbreeding in Panda Population?: Extremely Rare Brown and White Panda Spotted
2. More Proof That Smoking Leads to Small-Cell Lung Cancer
3. 5 Great Online Tools for Biologists
4. Spare Gene Is Fodder For Fishes’ Evolution
5. Genetic Cause For Type Of Deafness Identified; Discovery Could Lead To New Therapies For Progressive Hearing Loss