Personal Genome Sequencing - Not Worth It Yet

When the human genome was first sequenced, it took ten years and three billion dollars. Since then, the cost has fallen to a few thousand dollars, and companies will soon do it for less than a grand. So, anyone can mail out a tissue sample and in return, get a USB drive with their DNA sequence. But is it really worth it?

One of the great promises of this technology is that one day, doctors will routinely practice personalized medicine ' to identify a person's susceptibility to developing disease, how that disease will progress, and how the person will respond to different types of treatment. Certain genetic disorders are easily predictable, based on the inheritance of a few genetic variances.

For example, inheriting two hemoglobin genetic mutations can cause sickle cell disease. Other examples include muscular dystrophy, hemophilia and Huntington's disease which are among an estimated 4,000 single gene disorders. Genome sequencing will likely identify more of these simple genetic disorders involving one or a few genes.

However, the vast majority of diseases are much more complex, and involve multiple genes and how they influence disease development. As a result, the potential of genome sequencing will be limited until scientists are better able to understand how disease develops.

But even when a genetic test clears someone of a susceptibility to developing certain disease, it's not a free pass because the environment and lifestyle are critical factors. It means their risk is equal to the general population.

While genome sequencing is becoming affordable, there's little a person can do with the information for now. Also, consider how such private information could be misused by insurance companies or potential employers. Always ask about a company's privacy policy before deciding to plunk down the money for a test.