the future of genetics
DESCRIPTION
The falk Fabian Zimmer and I gave at the re:publica on 05/03/12TRANSCRIPT
The Future of Genetics
Some History...
• 1953: Watson & Crick discover the structure of DNA
• 1977: Sanger publishes his DNA sequencing method
Some History
• For years the method of Sanger stays the standard (it’s still widely used)
• Famous use of the technique: The Human Genome Project (HGP)
Some History
• Lessons of the HGP:
• took >10 years to complete 1(!) genome
• cost of > 3 billion USD
Today
• Large-scale genomic sequencing is done using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)
• Costs for individual genomes dropped to <10k USD
• Sequencing can be done within days
…but…
• NGS allows for parallelization & produces fragmented data at a rapid speed
• Relies on heavy computation to stitch fragments back into one genome
1.8 billion pieces
“Today
• Computational power becomes the limiting factor for analyzing the data
• Having data ≠ Gaining Knowledge
I can assemble using MetaVelvet on our server in less than a day (admittedly it has 512GB of RAM, but doesn't everyone?)
Today
• What do single genes do?
• Which genes are responsible for a disease?
• How does gene regulation work?
The Future?Oxford Nanopore has also introduced GridION -- a platform where multiple cartridges can be clustered together. The company reckon that a 20-node
GridION setup can sequence a complete human genome in just 15 minutes.“
This changes everything. Again.
What changes?
Government & Civil Society
CompaniesIndividuals
Science**it works!
What changes?
Government & Civil Society
CompaniesIndividuals
Science**it works!
• Tests for diseases
• preimplantation/prenatal genetic tests
• newborn screenings
• individual tests for hitherto unknown diseases
Individuals & Science /Medicine
• WGS for preventative care
• finding risk factors
• counter diseases before they can develop
Individuals & Science /Medicine
• Rise in data available for scientists
• finding the genetic base of diseases
• development of new treatments/drugs based on genetic knowledge
Individuals & Science /Medicine
• Problems
• Should WGS data be reused?
• What about sharing data with other scientists?
• Will participants get their raw data? Who owns it?
• What about incidental findings?
Individuals & Science /Medicine
What changes?
Government & Civil Society
CompaniesIndividuals
Science**it works!
• Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing goes WGS
• Problems:
• Quality of resulting analysis by companies?
• Should customers be allowed to take commercial tests without medical supervision?
Individuals & Companies
• Obligatory Genetic Testing for...
• ...(Health) Insurance companies?
• ...employers?
Individuals & Companies
• Personalized advertising...
• VISA filed a patent on this last year...
Individuals & Companies
What changes?
Government & Civil Society
CompaniesIndividuals
Science**it works!
• Genetic Testing for…
• …online dating?!
• …finding the perfect work-out strategy?!
Individuals & Government / Civil Society
• and of course: Forensics…
• What could Law Enforcement do with WGS data?
Individuals & Government / Civil Society
This affects all of us!
Government & Civil Society
CompaniesIndividuals
Science**it works!
Where does this leave us?
• Human Genetics & Genomics is rapidly growing field
• It can have an impact on lots of parts of every day life
•Now is the time to think about how we want to deal with this!
