Genome Sequencing Prices Plummet
Last week, the San Jose Mercury News reported that Complete Genomics (who envisions becoming the Google of gene sequencing) had cut the price point of sequencing a full genome from $250,000 to $4000.
By way of comparison in 2007, Branford, Ct-based 454 Life Sciences sequenced James Watson’s - one of the co-discoverer’s of DNA – genome for $2 million. In 2003, the first complete human genome sequenced by the Human Genome Project cost of $3 billion.
In a conversation with Fierce Biotech editor John Carroll, a spokesperson for Complete Genomics explained the company had cut the price point from $250,000 to $20,000 and would hit the $5,000 price point sometime next year.
What this means is the price of sequencing a complete human genome went from the price of maintaining the space shuttle for a year to the price of a used Toyota. In other words, the price dropped 3 orders of magnitude in 9 years or 1 order of magnitude every 3 years.
What does the cheap genome sequencing mean? It means that there economies of scale come into play and the understanding of disease (and health) will accelerate. Over at Futurepundit.com, they have a long list of the results of cheap DNA sequencing, among them:
- Discovery of genetic variations that contribute to disease risk.
- Discovery of genetic variations that contribute to intelligence, personality characteristics, and behavioral tendencies including criminal tendencies
- Acceleration of cancer research as researchers gain the ability to identify more genetic mutations that occur in cancers as the cancers develop
- Acceleration in research into accumulation of mutations that cause aging
FuturePundit also believes we’ll see a $100 genome sequence in the next five years. Given that we’re already seeing consumer genetic testing companies pop up, 23andme.com, among others, we will see some very interesting applications for full genome screening in the next few years.
