Brand New DNA Reader Brings Hope

Ion Proton Sequencer

The "$1,000 genome" is a prediction that has been sought for years.  Being able to read a person's complete genetic information for $1000 would be a great advancement in affordable DNA testing.  A U.S. company on Tuesday achieved that milestone and have already taken the technology even further.

The new genome-sequencing machine is from Ion Torrent a division of Life Technologies Corp., in Guilford, Connecticut.  CEO and chairman Jonathan Rothberg says the new technology is 1000x more powerful than existing tech.

The machine takes up about as much space as a standard office printer.  It can accomplish its task in 24 hours rather than the 6 to 8 weeks required just a few years ago.  This could greatly change medicine in extreme ways.

Called the Ion Proton Sequencer and costing between $99,000 to $150,000 makes it affordable for large clinics or medical practices.  Sequencer from years ago... $750,000. 

Reuters has a great graphic on the decrease in the cost of genome sequencing, see: link.reuters.com/xys85s