"Mapping the individual - cheaply"
By 2015, babies might have their entire DNA read at birth, as costs of sequencing plunge. Charles Arthur looks at the implications for individuals and society
Charles Arthur The Guardian, Thursday April 24 2008
Had one of his parents been slightly less fortunate in their choice of a mate, James Watson might not have helped discover the structure of DNA in 1953. Instead, he would have been born deaf, and then lost his sight as he became a teenager. Equally, as he is, had he been less fortunate in the genetic lottery when he chose his wife, either of their sons might have had the same fate.
This is because Watson's complete DNA - his genome - contains a single gene for Usher's syndrome, an inherited disorder which affects hearing and sight. Watson's must have come from one of his parents. Usher's is a 'recessive' disease - you need two copies of the gene to be affected. About five people per 100,000 carry the gene, so Watson's chances of being disabled weren't large. But they were real."
Read about the implications of this soon-to-arrive medical service.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
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