Race for the “$1,000 Genome”

The potential for analysis of the individual human genome is advancing rapidly, according to a report in the NY Times today. If the cost of sequencing a human genome can drop to $1,000 or below, experts say it would start to become feasible to document people’s DNA makeup to tell what diseases they might be at risk for, or what medicines would work best for them. A DNA genome sequence might become part of each newborn’s medical work-up, while sequencing of cancer patients’ tumors might help doctors look for ways to attack them. This would be a great translation of research into prevention practice.