In 2003 the genome project sequenced the first human genome. Now in 2007 this service is available to the general public where each person has the ability to sequence their own DNA and find out what disease lurks from within. So far two companies have come out with this service:
https://www.23andme.com/ – This site is Google driven and costs $999 and a swab from your mouth to get you your results.
http://www.decodeme.com/ – A little cheaper with $985 based off of a a bio-pharmaceutical company.
With your results you will get a genome browser which you can use to find out if you have say the recent gene the amyloid-beta protein which was found to be one of the causes of Alzheimer’s disease. You will also get a mapping of 17 known degenerative diseases.
I think this definitely is a MAJOR breakthrough in the bioinformatics world and the cost of sequencing will drop significantly as more and more company’s enter the market. There is no way that this service can be monopolized by a single company as the techniques for sequencing are known to all. Its a matter of finding the optimal way of sequencing that will determine the price. Hope to see a lot in the future about this.
Personally whether I would do it or not. Probably not reason being personal information violation. Especially with Google as one of the leads on this, I would probably not want to sequence my DNA until it has become a little more common. Usually I would be one of the first to jump onto the boat but not this time. Need the service to settle down and confirm that privacy is not an issue. Than maybe I shall consider it.