In the near future, individuals may be able to purchase their own genetic maps to prevent diseases for just around $1,000.
The Human Genome Project was completed in 2003, resulting in the decoding of nearly 25,000 human genes (DNA). However, this achievement took 13 years and cost millions of dollars in research expenses. Now, universities, private companies, agencies, research institutes, and American scientists are engaged in a race with a much more ambitious goal: to reduce the cost and time of decoding human DNA, allowing every individual to possess their own genetic map.
DNA, a chemical compound located within the cell nucleus, is where genetic information is stored, defining all living organisms. The DNA molecules, arranged in varying sequences of the base pairs A-T-G-C, create the diverse biological characteristics of each species, from limb count and skin color to hair type and blood group…
Creating a human genetic map to analyze the impact of different types of DNA on individual health will lead to a revolution in diagnosis, medical treatment, disease prediction, and the prevention of thousands of genetic disorders that currently afflict humanity. However, the “traditional” techniques used in the Human Genome Project, which involved breaking DNA segments, cloning them, and using electric currents to pull them through a “window,” activating their fluorescent tails to illuminate and “translate” their colors, made reading and decoding genes a slow and costly process.
Now, computer technology allows us to photograph DNA using digital cameras instead of placing “windows” to assay genes. In addition, in the race to reduce costs and accelerate gene reading, many laboratories and scientists have invented entirely new methods for reading human genes.
For instance, 454 Life Sciences (Connecticut, USA) has found ways to increase the density of DNA molecules read at one time. “While the old method could only read 384 DNA molecules at once, our new method can read 200,000 molecules simultaneously,” said Chris McLeod, the company’s CEO. McLeod also mentioned that his company hopes to further increase DNA density to reduce the cost of decoding the entire genetic map to around $100,000.
The goal set by the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health is even higher. They expect to achieve a price of $100,000 per genetic map in three years, and by 2014, to reduce the price to just… one-tenth of that amount.
Jeff Chloss, the technical development director at the institute, stated that their two key strategies are to miniaturize DNA reading devices further and to independently isolate and clone DNA strands. Thus, their solution involves using nanotechnology—the art of manipulating matter at the molecular level. “With this method, DNA is threaded through a tiny hole. Scissors will read the DNA as it is pulled through the hole,” Chloss explained. The “nano-hole” method theoretically could read an individual’s entire gene system in just a few hours, although scientists have not yet fully visualized the specific process.
Of course, having a genetic map does not mean that individuals can dismiss all concerns about diseases. Contrary to popular misconceptions, factors such as living conditions and lifestyle habits also significantly affect human health, in addition to genes. Moreover, the risk of misuse of genetic information could infringe on personal privacy rights and ethical standards, casting a shadow over this great scientific advancement. However, with the news that affordable genetic maps will be available on the market in less than ten years, we should allow ourselves to feel excited and hopeful.
