2012 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript
This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2012. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.
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Is it common to sequence gene for a patient?
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Kris Wetterstrand, M.S.:
I work in the NHGRI Office of the Director as the Scientific Liaison to the Director for Extramural Activities. I have over ten years experience managing the NHGRI grant portfolio, having participated in the Large-scale Sequencing Program, which managed the Human Genome Project, and the Human Microbiome Project, an effort to sequence the DNA of microbes (e.g. bacteria) that live in and on humans and the ENCODE Project, an effort to identify functional DNA elements in the human genome. My background is in population genetics and molecular evolution.
I would say that it is not common---yet. It will be soon. Currently, patients often get genetic tests, which don't use sequencing, but another method called genotyping. In the future some of those genotyping test will switch to sequencing. And more significantly, many new sequencing gene tests and even sequencing a person's whole genome will be more common. The cost of sequencing is coming down such that it will be affordable in routine medical care. |
| Tredyffrin Easttown Middle School in PA (6th grade student) |
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