New Device Sequences Complete Human Genome Faster, Cheaper Than Ever
New machine a significant step towards personalized genetic medicine As soon as scientists began decoding the human genome, speculation started about an impending age of personalized genetic medicine. Health care Cassandras spun enticing yarns about a future where a patient's disease predispositions would be quickly and cheaply identified. And years after Craig Venter decoded the first human genome (his), the best we've got is a mail order service that guesses at your risk for Alzheimer's. Now, a new gene sequencing device designed by Stanford engineer Stephen Quake may finally usher in the long predicted practice of personalized genetic medicine. By using a new refrigerator-sized machine to decode the DNA, Quake has cut both the cost and time of the process by at least a fifth. Quake's device, called the Heliscope Single Molecule Sequencer, unzips the DNA and fixes the loose strands to a plate...