The next generation of DNA sequencers could create more genomics jobs, says Paul Smaglik.
Bioengineer Stephen Quake and his colleagues at Stanford University, California, reported earlier this month that they had sequenced Quake's own genome in 4 weeks for less than US$50,000, leading to predictions that physicians will soon be able to sequence patients' DNA in their offices (D. Pushkarev, N. Neff and S. Quake Nature Biotechnol. doi:10.1038/nbt.1561; 2009). Yet such predictions may be premature — the machine used by Quake costs around $1 million, and sequencing one patient's genome currently yields little clinical benefit. Still, the next-generation sequencing technology the group reports could boost careers in three areas of genetics and genomics.
First, it is likely to prompt the development of even cheaper, better and faster sequencing technologies. Companies such as Helicos Biosciences in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which developed the sequencing technology used by Quake, and others will race to generate improved instruments. That should mean jobs for biomedical engineers and computational biologists who can develop and test new sequencers and bioinformatics approaches.
Second, this technology can be used with bioinformatics to unearth the complex multiple-gene variants that drive many diseases, such as cancer, and will enable cheaper and faster genomic sequencing of individuals with the same disorders. Bioinformaticians and biostatisticians will be needed to compare genomes directly to reveal the multiple genes or variants that cause a particular disease.
Third, an improved understanding of these variants should help move drug development into the era of personalized medicine, requiring pharmacogeneticists who can tailor drug therapies to individuals that have different genetic variants.
Another stimulus for genomics jobs comes from funding. The US economic recovery act is already channelling money into two Department of Energy labs to purchase faster sequencing equipment and to develop better bioinformatics software. And with Francis Collins confirmed as the new director of the National Institutes of Health, the former leader of the Human Genome Project is in a strong position to advocate funding of the latest rapid-sequencing technologies.
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Smaglik, P. A sequence for success. Nature 460, 1167 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nj7259-1167a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nj7259-1167a