London Times
Saturday, Nov 14th, 2009
Personal genome sequences are still hugely expensive -but the cost is falling fast
For $70,000 (£42,000), it may not seem like a very good deal: all you get is a polished silver box containing a USB drive on a black velvet tray.
It is the information that is on the drive, however, that counts.
In fact, the data is so valuable that the silver box has become the latest must-have accessory for some of the wealthiest individuals on the planet. So far, fewer than a hundred members of the global elite have managed to get their hands on one — including a handful of Britons, The Times has learnt — and the waiting list is growing by the month.
The USB drive contains a digital version of its owner’s human genome, sequenced and decoded and ready to be browsed on a home computer. It is hoped that such information could soon tell an individual what he or she is likely to die of — and, by extension, what can be done to put off the day of reckoning.
