Genome sequencing for under $5,000

A US-based genomics company announces that it can perform genomic sequencing for under five thousand dollars. In my budget, that's "fully loaded 8-Core Mac Pro and a monitor," or "sweet new Canon 5D with one nice lens." But unlike those tools I covet, DNA is forever.

• [Antinous / Moderator]

  I’m so inbred I have an identical twin cousin growing out of my elbow. It might be worth it for me.

• [Architexas]

  DNA is forever… until you stand too close to the microwave for too long and your DNA mutates.

• [singingdragon]

  Specifically, the cost of the enzymes and chemicals used is about $4400. That doesn’t factor in things like the costs of labor or equipment, so an actual sequenced genome may cost significantly more.

• [madprime]

  They didn’t just announce it, it is now demonstrated and published online in the journal Science: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1181498

  The announcement was made a year ago, covered in this New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/business/06gene.html

  There’s a big difference between announcing you can or will do something and proving it by publishing a paper. :-)

  There have been revolutionary cheap high-throughput sequencing technologies commercialized in the last few years. Complete Genomic’s cost is dramatically low, but it’s also important to note that even without them a genome would cost around $50-100,000 (the original human genome was several hundred million dollars!) – there are many companies competing in this field right now and this price is constantly dropping.

  Inevitably I believe we’ll be sequencing children when they’re born – a one-stop check for any genetic disorders and, as you point out, the information lasts a lifetime.

  This has new privacy implications to worry about – privacy loss that extends beyond the individual making the decision. If (when) I sequence my genome, I implicitly reveal information about my relatives – any variant I have must have come from my mother or father and has a high chance of being shared by one of my siblings. Even if you’re not with sequencing your own genome, I don’t think you can stop your relatives from choosing to do so.