The disccusion is related to the following: Recently, DNA sequencing has become
ID: 323691 • Letter: T
Question
The disccusion is related to the following:
Recently, DNA sequencing has become very inexpensive. Please discuss how the technological advancements had contributed to make DNA sequencing so cheap; and also comment on how inexpensive DNA sequencing will affect the biomedical sciences in the near future.
Write a brief answer to the following comment:
"A large portion of the cost of any human endeavor is that of the associated man-hours; benefits and salaries to employees and researchers. According to the textbook, in the early 90's a researcher could produce at most a few hundred base pairs of sequence in a day. At that rate it would take an individual researcher over 16,000 years to complete the project. Now thanks to automation and improved sequencing techniques, a single machine can process an entire genome in 2 to 3 weeks, reducing human labor enormously. The Human Genome Project was launched in 1990 and was completed in 2003 (thirteen years!), and cost approximately $2.7 billion dollars according to the National Institute of Health. Current costs are now as low as $10,000, thanks in part to the reduction in labor expenditures.
With a decreased cost comes a concomitant increase in availability and practicality. Indeed, direct-to-consumer mail in genetic testing kits are relatively quick and affordable. In the future family histories and pedigree charts may no longer be required, as an individual could simply have their genome sequenced to uncover any genetic predispositions or risks. As our body of knowledge continues to grow, it may become possible to altogether eliminate certain genetic diseases through gene therapy. Medications and other treatments could be specifically tailored to best suit each patient."
Explanation / Answer
Technology has done its wonders in the form of high-throughput - next generation sequencing (HT-NGS) technologies to make DNA sequencing easily affordable. Replacing the old Sanger Sequencing, the new generation (second and third) technologies have made sequencing large amounts of DNA also feasible (for example all the pieces of an individual's DNA that provide instructions for making proteins called exons). The NGS technologies mainly include a. Roche/454 b. Illumina/Solexa c. Life Technologies/SOLiD and emerging technologies like real time third generation nanopore sequencing.
It has improved its practical application in various fields such as 1. epigenomic research 2. Genomic variation and mutation detection in case of various diseases and disorders. 3.Development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the treatment of cancer or tumor. To explain in simple sentence HT-NGS will advance our understanding of the functional results of DNA mutations, and improve our ability to diagnose and predict outcomes of diseases for individual patients with their unique DNA sequences.