In 1988, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health coordinated the Human Genome Project.
The goals were to identify all the genes in human DNA, sequence the 3 billion chemical base pairs, and store that information in databases. It cost nearly $4 billion and took 13 years to complete. Today, scientists can sequence individual genomes in a matter of weeks. It previously cost about $1/base to sequence a genome, and the price has fallen by 100 million times.
What does this mean for medicine?
Consider Richard Resnick. He is the CEO of GenomeQuest, a company that builds software for genomic medicine. At a TED talk in Boston, he made the case for the importance of genomics and the future of medicine.
Resnick describes the story of a 37-year-old woman who comes in to treat three types of cancer over five years – stage two breast cancer, stage three ovarian cancer twice, and then acute myloid leukemia. Each time she was treated with surgeries and chemotherapy, and yet cancers continued to appear until she went into respiratory failure and died.
A postmortem gene sequence revealed that her genome contained a deleterious mutation that made it 90% likely that she would develop cancer in her life, and while that information was no good to her now, it was valuable to her family since they may also possess the gene defect. Genome sequences could identify it and make it possible for doctors to catch cancers earlier.
Another example sees the genome of a young boy sequenced to reveal a point mutation that would not allow his body to break down food. After a bone marrow transplant and nine-month recovery, his body is back on track and he’s healthy again.
These examples prove that the prospect of using the human genome as a universal diagnostic is possible today. Treating cancer with chemotherapy and surgery “will look like bloodletting,” according to Resnick – and it’s hard to disagree.
There are a number of ultra-powerful genome sequencing machines being placed throughout the world.
In fact, Resnick states that,
“The worldwide capacity to sequence human genomes is something like 50 to 100 thousand human genomes this year and we know this based on the machines that are being placed. This is expected to double, triple or even quadruple year over year for the foreseeable future.”
In an economy hemorrhaging jobs, it’s a good time to hold a bioengineering or chemistry degree because the genomic industry is growing at an incredible rate. China controls 20% of the market and as of 2010 has added 128 genome sequencers (at an estimated cost of $690,000 each) to its growing stable of research equipment. The goal in this monumental investment is to make genome-sequencing commonplace.
So where is all of this heading? The possibilities are nearly endless.
Future U.S. presidential candidates could publish the results of their genome to leverage themselves over other candidates. Lovers could discover if their spouse possesses the “cheating gene”. Our genome sequence could have designated sections of our Facebook pages! The lifestyle effects of the popularization of genomics are nebulous, but the medical benefits are as clear as day: longer lives, increased quality of life and more effective medicine. This is something we should all keep an eye on.
About Thomas Stone
That is amazing except for the idea that we will have to eat GM foods. There are other ways to feed a growing polulation with different foods that grow faster and are more sustainable. The trouble with our western world is that food is so modifed into fast food junk food which people are overconsuming and wasting in billions of tons. The polulations are unfit and obese.
The answer ( Ive seen something about rationing somewhere else on p4c but sorry cant think where now) RATIONING.
Get rid of the mass supermarkets, get great organic healthy basic vegetables, organically reared meats eggs cheese etc back into the small local shops and RATION everyone so that we all just get the amount of food that we need. All of this will feed the world.
And educate everyone over and over again making it compulsary for people to attend world classes so they know about polluting chemicals and toxins and plastcs and over eating etc.
Off my soap box now.
Here Here Sue. It is an amazing discovery I couldn’t agree more but as you mention there should be changes made to people’s attitude to food to make sure that there is enough to go round for everybody. And there are many posts on the web that are on the topic of food for all and how this can be achieved healthily and in a sustainable manner.
I think the rationing you mention was previously mentioned in on of the comments to a post about water saving and wastage although I can’t find it either at the moment. (Ill try to find and add link here if I can :-)
Youre right. If we adapt to permaculture farming methids and stop taking all the land to build on when houses can be built vertically and with crops on the roofs too ( yes they can provide areas on roofs for growing wild fruits like blackberries and strawberries which will grow in abundance).
There is no need for genetically modifed food which somewhere along the line will cause mutations I am sure of that. On top of which GM foods will do nothing to stem the tide of this mad over consumption and waste. Maybe sequence people to hate junk food and anything plastic that will be a great idea won’t it? After all this obsession we have with food has to be some sort of mutation surely?
Cut back the world population with penalties for those who have more than two children. It’s ridiculous how the state pays people with tax credits for their kids. At least with two kids only it will balance itslef out two in and two out when the parents both die so to speak.