Re:Gene Therapy Was Hailed as a Revolution – Then Came the Bill
by ryanmarsh on Monday April 08, 2019 @12:27AM
(#19602083)
I think advancements in DNA sequencing (ie nano pore) are going to change the landscape. Once it costs $50 to do a proper sequencing (not the messy bullshit 23andMe does), along with the analytical tools needed to isolate problematic sequences, patients and caregivers are going to be clamoring for targeted treatments. Big pharma will see the money and deliver.
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Re:Gene Therapy Was Hailed as a Revolution – Then Came the Bill
by bonniemuffin on Monday April 08, 2019 @12:43AM
(#19602177)
I totally disagree. I don't think the cost of sequencing is the bottleneck here, and it doesn't need to come down to $50. Even at $1k for a full genome sequence (which I think is in the range of a good high-quality sequence these days), it's totally feasible for anyone with a disease to get themselves sequenced.
The hard part is interpreting which part of the sequence is causing the problem, and developing targeted therapies to treat it. Sequencing any patient's genome has already been totally feasible for a few years now, but we still don't understand how to make the information actionable once we have it.
Re:Gene Therapy Was Hailed as a Revolution – Then Came the Bill
by droithomme on Monday April 08, 2019 @12:52AM
(#19602236)
Reliable whole genome sequencing runs about $1000 these days. Reducing it to $50 would shave $950 off the cost of identifying genomic disorders.
It wouldn't affect much the cost of producing therapies that are tailored to individual genomes.