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Veritas’ price drop to $599

For many years friends have been asking me whole genome sequencing retail would be “cheap.”  Well, as Emily Mullin reports, Veritas is now dropping their retail price to $599. You Can Now Get Your Whole Genome Sequenced for Less Than an iPhone:

Veritas Genetics is making a big bet that people want to know what’s in their genome.

The Boston-based company, which started offering whole genome sequencing in 2016 for $999 — the first company to do so below four figures — announced today that it is lowering the price to $599. For much less than the price of the latest iPhone model, consumers can get a full readout of their DNA.

Veritas’ move is a clear signal that genetic sequencing technology is getting cheaper as it becomes more automated — but whether people will want to know about the disease risks that may lurk in their genomes is yet to be seen. But Veritas thinks its new price point will be low enough to convince customers that decoding their entire genome is worth it.

There are still some “gaps” in our knowledge in terms of repetitive areas, as well as the whole area of secondary and tertiary structure and details of gene regulation and epigenetics. But, we’re fast converging on total sequence information.

4 thoughts on “Veritas’ price drop to $599

  1. What tools are out there to really scan for diseases and traits with the formats they offer?
    I mean for laypeople with very limited computer skills and scientific knowledge. I think thats a major issue.

  2. @Obs

    Laypeople with “very” limited computer skills and scientific knowledge should not expect to get anything else useful out of raw genomic data at this time. For an extra fee, one can get a VCF from Veritas, but if something like Promethease is out of reach due to inability to upload the data or understand the results, there’s no point in getting one.

  3. Even with some knowledge, there is little you can do with it in practise right now. Veritas offers some basic analyses, but these make the offer much more expensive.
    You have to consult a phycisian first too.

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