Advances Towards Personalised Medicine: What is the Cost of Knowing your Genome?

Abstract

Since the completion of the Human Genome Project (HGP) in 2003, scientists have been working towards making whole genome sequencing a useful clinical diagnostic tool. The aim of many of the big biotechnology companies is to make this technique affordable and accessible so that it can be routinely used to diagnose rare genetic disorders and tailor medical treatment to an individual’s genetic code – a practice called personalised medicine.