New DNA reader to bring promise, perils of genetics to clinics

[Little Star]

Last edited Tue Jan 10, 2012, 01:17 PM - Edit history (1)

Yahoo News
By Sharon Begley, Reuters
1/10/12

New DNA reader to bring promise, perils of genetics to clinics

snip~
After years of predictions that the "$1,000 genome" - a read-out of a person's complete genetic information for about the cost of a dental crown - was just around the corner, a U.S. company is announcing Tuesday that it has achieved that milestone and taken the technology several steps ahead.

The new genome-sequencing machine from Ion Torrent, a division of Life Technologies Corp., in Guilford, Connecticut, is 1,000 times more powerful than existing technology, says CEO and chairman Jonathan Rothberg.

Taking up about as much space as an office printer, it can sequence an entire genome in a single day rather than six to eight weeks required only a few years ago. The new sequencer, says cardiologist Eric Topol, chief academic officer of private California hospital and doctor network Scripps Health, "represents an exceptional advance and can change medicine."
~snip

Edit to add link:
http://news.yahoo.com/dna-reader-bring-promise-perils-genetics-clinics-091224202.html

[sharp_stick]

1. The problem with genomics work

isn't getting the data, it's analyzing the data. Just filtering out the junk is one of the most time consuming things I've ever encountered even with the most advanced software.

Even if all this does is look for mutations in order to personalize medications or look for potential predilections of disease the amount of data analysis is daunting.

$1,000 to get the sequence and a lot more to actually do something with it.

on edit: We were discussing this and it's potential uses at work the other day.

[Duer 157099]

8. The software will improve

I recall a few years ago people not being too concerned with the NSA/telecom intercepting all of our communications because the thought was that it would be too much data to sift through.

But software (and hardware for storage) advances quickly. Soon neither of those concerns will be valid.

[mopinko]

2. hopefully this will help find answers for those of us

that know there is something wrong with us, but nobody knows what.
very cool.

[Little Star]

3. I just wonder about it being used by the health insurance companies....

Last edited Tue Jan 10, 2012, 12:57 PM - Edit history (1)

Will they charge us more when possible future problems with our health are that available? Will they demand we have these tests before insuring us?

Maybe I just worry to much about the big picture?

[mopinko]

4. i think there is so much upside potential for them that it would be

extremely stupid to misuse it. but......

[AllyCat]

7. You have a different level of trust than I do. I have NO doubt they will use this

to make money and they do that by raising premiums and denying claims. This is only going to help them in that endeavor.

[Posteritatis]

10. The US passed some legislation a couple of years ago banning them from doing that, actually. (nt)

[suston96]

5. Is there a link for this.....? nt

[Little Star]

6. Sorry. I just added it. Thanks for the heads up.

[suston96]

9. Thanks for the link. Great topic. nt