SEQUENCING a person’s genome will soon become cheaper than buying a used car. A company called Complete Genomics based in Mountain View, California, says it will read entire human genomes at $5000 a shot, starting in June this year.
This genome sequencing, which will cost less than one-tenth of what companies charge today, was announced on 5 February at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology meeting on Marco Island, Florida. Its low cost relies on immobilising “amplified” DNA fragments on a high-density silicon array, allowing the fragments’ sequences to be read efficiently.
The first customers are likely to be…
