Human genetic map - Read your DNA

Article by Bobbie Johnson, San Francisco, October 07 2008

It took hundreds of scientists 13 years and $3bn (£1.7bn) to decode the human genome: now one company says it is ready to slash the cost of reading your DNA to just $5,000. California-based Complete Genomics has announced that it will begin offering the service later this month, after developing new methods that reduce the price of sequencing a human genome.

According to Clifford Reid, the company's chairman and chief executive, the plummeting price tag "will dramatically increase the availability and affordability of human genome sequencing".

"Our sequencing services will be one of the core enablers of the impending revolution in personalised medicine," he said.

Although there are a number of other companies that offer limited genetic testing, Complete Genomics is the first to say it will produce a complete, low-cost reading of any human genome, each of which consists of more than 25,000 genes. The company said it would be able to complete 1,000 sequences in 2009, rising to 20,000 in 2010 – and that it was the result of two years' working "in stealth mode" to create a faster, cheaper system.

Although the announcement could help more members of the public understand their own genetic makeup – and potentially allow them to organise treatment targeted at specific genetic diseases – there may also be benefits for genetic researchers.

Progress in DNA mapping has accelerated enormously in recent years, thanks to advances in technology and high-powered computer systems. It currently costs around $100,000 for most sequences, but experts have suggested the price is falling by an average of 90% every year.

Such rapid progress has helped speed up scientists' understanding of the genome and relationships between different genetic codes – leading to hopes that it can advance treatment for conditions such as cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease and some cancers.

It has also helped spawn a number of so-called "lifestyle" genetics companies, including Iceland's DeCODE and California's Navigenics, which allow customers to understand some of their genetic predispositions.