genetics unzipped

Podcast: Are you ready for the Zero Dollar Genome?

HOST OVERVIEW
Kat Arney: Kat Arney, biologist and award-winning science communicator, hosts the Genetics Unzipped podcast, a project of the UK Genetics Society.    More details

The first human genome sequence cost billions of dollars. Today, we’ve broken through the thousand dollar barrier and are heading towards $100. Leading geneticist and MIT professor George Church is proposing a way of taking that cost to zero—in exchange for the data.

On this episode of Genetics Unzipped, Kat Arney talks with Church about his vision for the future of personal genome sequencing, recent advances in DNA reading, writing and editing, and the science fiction genetic ideas that are likely to become science fact in the very near future.

 

Kat also chats with genomics researcher Manuel Corpas about how his experience of personal genome sequencing became very personal once he got his whole family involved, particularly when everyone started competing to see who had the ‘best’ genes.

  • George Church is a professor of genetics at Harvard & MIT, and a leading authority on genetics and genomics. He developed methods used for the first genome sequence and the subsequent million-fold cost reductions, and has pioneered techniques for DNA barcoding, genome editing, writing & recoding. In 2005 he set up the Personal Genomes Project, which asks willing volunteers to publicly share their personal genome data for the public good. Follow George on Twitter @geochurch
  • Manuel Corpas is Chief Scientist and Founder of Cambridge Precision Medicine Ltd, offering high quality interpretation and education to help companies, clinicians and researchers deliver clinical and personal genomic services. He blogs about issues in genetics and genomics at Personal Genomics Zone. Follow Manuel on Twitter @manuelcorpas

Full transcript, credits and show notes here.

Genetics Unzipped is presented by award-winning science communicator and biologist Kat Arney and produced by First Create the Media for the UK Genetics Society. Follow Kat on Twitter @Kat_Arney and Genetics Unzipped @geneticsunzip

Listen to Genetics Unzipped on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) Google Play, Stitcher, Blubrry, TuneIn, Spotify, and Spreaker

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