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Why You Should Share Your Genetic Profile
By David Haussler
UC Santa Cruz, Professor of biomolecular engineering, Director of the Genomics Institute at UC Santa Cruz
(Photo above: John D’Albora, senior research technician, wipes impurities from a flow cell before readying it for genomic sequencing. Credit: Cristina Fletes-Boutte, McClatchy-Tribune News Service)
July 17, 2015 — Santa Cruz, CA
David Haussler, (Photo credit: UCSC website)
Fifteen years ago, a scrappy team of computer geeks at UC Santa Cruz assembled the first complete draft of the human genome from DNA data generated by a global consortium, giving humanity its first glimpse of our genetic heritage.
And then we did something the private corporation competing with us never would have done: We posted the draft on the Web, ensuring that our genetic blueprint would be free and accessible to everyone, forever.
This opened the door to global research and countless scientific breakthroughs that are transforming medicine. Today, every major medical center offers DNA sequencing tests; we can sequence anybody’s genome for about $1,000.
This is a game-changer. The era of precision medicine is upon us.
Continue reading article in San Francisco Chronicle: http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Why-you-should-share-your-genetic-profile-6389545.php
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