5 Crazy Habits You Might Adopt With Low-Cost Genome Sequencing

The $1,000 human genome took a giant leap closer to reality when Illumina launched the HiSeq X Ten Sequencing System in early 2014. Sequencing your genome costs over five times that amount using any other system, and had cost nearly 10 times that amount as recently as 2007. In other words, the company is easily setting the pace for the next-generation sequencing market -- and causing prices to drop precipitously every few years.

The cost of sequencing a full human genome as estimated by the National Human Genome Research Institute. Costs do not account for Illumina's latest system. Image source: Ben Moore/ Wikimedia Commons .

While Illumina specializes in data quantity for full-length genomes, thePacBio RS II from Pacific Biosciences allows researchers to zoom into specific regions of a sequence with exceptional accuracy. The two systems are often used together to provide a full range of capabilities. That bodes well for genomics researchers and pharmaceutical companies, but the appetite for larger volumes of high quality data will trickle down to consumers in the form of even lower-cost gene sequencing.

If sequencing costs fall to several hundred dollars (or less)by the end of the decade, everyday life will look a little different than it does today.Let's take a look at five habits you may adopt, from the time you're born to the day you retire, when low-cost genome sequencing becomes commonplace.

1. The habit of screening the full genomes of newborns Today, all babies born in a hospital in the United States are screened for various diseases before they're sent home. Although the conditions tested vary slightly from state to state , current tests send blood samples drawn from a baby's heel to the hospital's lab for testing. While considered one of the most successful public health programs on the planet, today's newborn genetic screening tests only look for several dozen health conditions. Full-genome sequencing could alleviate diagnostic bottlenecks inherent to current blood tests and greatly expand the usefulness of newborn sequencing.

By allowing parents to peer into the full genome of their newborn, doctors could monitor individuals genetically shown to be at increased risk of disease or even begin preventative or early treatment. Most parents would welcome the insights, according to a study recently published in Genetics in Medicine . Doctors approached 514 parents each within 48 hours of their child's birth, explained the genome's impact on human health, and asked if they'd be interested in newborn genomic screening. Nearly 83% expressed some level of interest in the tests if they were available, which could become routine in the next decade.

2. The habit of routine sequencing "checkups" Sequencing wouldn't stop once you left the hospital after being born. While you may be born with a unique genetic code, your environment plays a critical role in determining which genes are expressed and silenced. Factors such as nutrient intake, stress levels, exposure to specific chemicals, altitude, physical activity, and many more can turn genes on and off throughout your lifetime.

If sequencing costs become low enough, then you might undergo routine genetic screenings every few years, at your annual physical, or even every time you become ill to track changes in your genome over time. Similar to newborn genomic screening, routine genomic checkups could detect diseases at the earliest stages of development, which, if used across a sizable population, would have a profound effect on our approach to healthcare by allowing more preventative treatments.

3. The habit of buying products optimized for your genes You shouldn't have to fight back anxiety every time you peer into your genome for fear of being at an elevated risk for disease. Luckily, some of your results will have nothing to do with health at all. Not convinced that reading your genome sequence could ever be fun? Well, specific results could affect the way you shop.

Read the original post:
5 Crazy Habits You Might Adopt With Low-Cost Genome Sequencing