A new DNA scan that uses the same semi conductor chip technology as digital cameras may drastically cut costs while speeding up the process of deciphering all of the human gene sequence, thus providing a personalized report of health risks and possible therapies according to a new groundbreaking report.
Dr. Maneesh Jain, vice president of marketing and business development at Ion Torrent, which uses a semiconductor chip to sense DNA or genetic material instead of light stated:
“When it [digital photography] first started out, the resolution was not good and the pictures were not as good as on film. But the technology improved, which made it more accessible and now more people can enjoy photography and become better photographers.”
This eliminates the need for some of the more expensive equipment typically required for such sequencing, and it also works faster.
The human genome was first mapped in 2001 and cost roughly $1 billion to do. Wow. The race to develop the $1,000 genome test may now be just on the horizon. Researchers have been striving to develop less expensive DNA sequencing technologies for a decade.
Knowledge of DNA sequences has become indispensable for basic biological research, other research branches utilizing DNA sequencing, and in numerous applied fields such as diagnostic, biotechnology, forensic biology and biological systematics. The advent of DNA sequencing has also significantly accelerated biological research and discovery. The rapid speed of sequencing attained with modern DNA sequencing technology has been instrumental in the sequencing of the human genome, in the Human Genome Project. Related projects, often by scientific collaboration across continents, have generated the complete DNA sequences of many animal, plant, and microbial genomes.
Rapidly decoding a bacterial strain could help put the brakes on an outbreak. Also, these scans can provide a snapshot of what may be to come with an individual’s health.
Other uses of DNA scans include better matching treatments to diseases/ So-called personalized medicine seeks to avoid trial-and-error by using genetic data found during a scan to better pair treatments with diseases.
Basically, if you know you are going to contract a disease such as diabetes, you may be able to alter your lifestyle in advance to suppress the worst symptoms.
However some doctors don’t agree with the progression. Peter Gregersen, director of the Robert S. Boas Center for Genomics and Human Genetics at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York are taking a more cautious approach when evaluating the new technology:
“Most of what genetics tell us is that there are a lot of fairly common variants that have a modest degree of risk for diseases. This is important from a scientific point of view, but the data itself is not actionable. The risk of disease associated with high blood pressure, smoking and high cholesterol is far greater than most of the genetic risks coming out of whole genome scanning. You may see an ophthalmologist, and there are forms that are treatable, but knowing your genetics won’t impact this much. Getting it is one thing, but adequately interpreting the information it provides is another big part of this. It’s a fun thing to do, and there are ways to do it now in which you can contribute to basic science, such as by taking part in a larger registry. In isolation, this information is not helpful yet.”
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Written by Sy Kraft