We’re on the cusp of whole genome sequencing at birth

Professor Matt Brown, Director of the Diamantina Institute at the University of Queensland, predicts that whole genome sequencing at birth is about a decade away from becoming a part of routine screening in our hospitals.

A human genome comprises 3.3 billion bases and about 22,000 genes, and on average each person carries about 50 or 60 new mutations. Add to this a variation of 100 or 200 bases between each of us and deciphering whole genome sequences starts sounding complicated.

But gene sequencing is a success story and it’s getting faster and cheaper each year.

Read the full, original story here: Generation genome

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