Substack cometh, and lo it is good. (Pricing)

1 out of 100 benefit from whole genome sequencing

Perhaps. The New York Times has a piece out reviewing the vogue for sequencing the genomes of children who have mysterious diseases. The numbers are what matters here I think:

A few years ago, this sort of test was so difficult and expensive that it was generally only available to participants in research projects like those sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. But the price has plunged in just a few years from tens of thousands of dollars to around $7,000 to $9,000 for a family. Baylor College of Medicine and a handful of companies are now offering it. Insurers usually pay.

Demand has soared — at Baylor, for example, scientists analyzed 5 to 10 DNA sequences a month when the program started in November 2011. Now they are doing more than 130 analyses a month. At the National Institutes of Health, which handles about 300 cases a year as part of its research program, demand is so great that the program is expected to ultimately take on 800 to 900 a year.

Experts caution that gene sequencing is no panacea. It finds a genetic aberration in only about 25 to 30 percent of cases. About 3 percent of patients end up with better management of their disorder. About 1 percent get a treatment and a major benefit.

It seems this is a floor in terms of the results outcome for these children, as some of them may receive better or more effective treatments in the future, because the specific nature of their disease is already known. Since most medical treatments today are marginal in effect these outcomes don’t surprise or depress me, and the price point is sure to come down. In the near future I imagine that everyone will have a whole genome sequence, and relevant information about your specific genetic profile in relation to the sea of biomedical literature constantly coming out may be sent to you in a drip, drip, fashion by a phone or web app.

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