Interesting article about sequencing a person’s DNA and the advances in speed and cost. The Human Genome Project was the first team to successfully sequence a human being’s entire genome and cost roughly $3 billion, taking about 13 years to sequence one person’s DNA, finishing in 2003. Last year, researchers sequenced someone’s DNA for $1.5 million, and researchers are expecting $100 and a single workday within 5 years.
2003 – $3 billion
2007 – $1.5 million
2013 – $100
Putting time aside and focusing just on cost, this is something like a 2000-fold increase in performance from 2003 to 2007 and a 15000-fold increase from 2007 to 2013, assuming they get to $100.
Once you add time to the mix, the improvements are even more impressive. This kind of exponential improvement will drive similar advances in biotech and bioengineering. In 50 years, the world of biology and medicine will be fundamentally different from what it is today.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/20640/