Big Blue Genome Project
DNA transistorThe human genome project just got a whole lot more personal as computer giant IBM announced that its researchers have modified computer chips in such a way as to render them most useful in cheap, fast gene sequencing.
IBM's "DNA transistor" apparently works by shooting DNA molecules through a chip's tiny "nanopores" - measuring about three nanometers wide, so approximately 100,000 times narrower than a human hair.
Along its way, the molecule is halted periodically by an electric field and then analysed by an electric sensor capable of identifying its base chemicals at various points, reading the molecule's DNA and collecting all the relevant genetic data from it.
Tailor-made treatment
The end result, apparently, is nothing less than creating a full picture of a person's genetic makeup in the fraction of the time and the cost it would take using the Human Genome Project.
IBM reckons its new invention will mean people can get themselves genetically scanned for between $100 and $1,000, whilst the Human Genome Project's first complete sequencing of the human genome cost a whopping $3 billion.
There's no doubt that after finding ways to get under people's skin, so to speak, IBM will want to commercialise its latest lab project, with Gustavo Stolovitzky, an IBM research scientist, noting "the technologies that make reading DNA fast, cheap, and widely available have the potential to revolutionize bio-medical research and herald an era of personalized medicine."
Indeed. Just think of the possibilities for doctors who would be able to dole out drugs specifically based on a patient's genetic makeup. "Personalized medicine will become a reality," Stolovitzky asserted, adding, "ultimately, it could improve the quality of medical care by identifying patients who will gain the greatest benefit from a particular medicine and those who are most at risk of adverse reaction."
Doctor, scan my genes
IBM hasn't finished its research just yet, however, and the firm says it does still need to hone the process before it would be ready for use in clinical trials. There are still problems with controlling the speed of the molecules as they zip through the nanopore, for instance. But, if all goes to plan, we could even soon be seeing handheld DNA readers in doctors' surgeries.
Of course, this does raise some legal and ethical eyebrows, and its only a matter of time before the chorus of indignant outcries will be raised from privacy organisations and individuals who have watched the film Gattica a few too many times, but ultimately this could be a true revolution for genetic medicine.
