As genome sequencing becomes more affordable should you do it?

1 day ago Feb. 15, 2013 - 11:52 AM PST

Genome sequencing is becoming more affordable than ever before several companies in the industry say the $1,000 personal genome is just around the corner. But, even if you can afford it, is mapping your genes worth it if you dont have a specific medical condition to consider?

Despite the whole knowledge is power argument it could help with early diagnosis and prevention or lead a doctor to better treatment options for an existing condition sequencing skeptics raise valid concerns and questions when it comes to gene sequencing for healthy people. How precise is it? How well will consumers be able to interpret the results? Will it just lead to needless hand-wringing about conditions that people wont be able to do to much to address or that wont surface until much later in life?

For now, those are questions for people with only the deepest pockets. But it wont be long before the conversation becomes more relevant for more of us and, in the Wall Street Journal this week, two doctors weigh in with the pros and cons of the debate over whether healthy people should have their genomes sequenced.

Dr. Atul J. Butte, division chief and associate professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and director of the Center for Pediatric Bioinformatics at Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., takes the pro position. And Dr. Robert Green, a medical geneticist at Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, argues against it.

Even though Dr. Butte acknowledges that gene sequencing isnt perfect, he believes the positives outweigh the negatives. He says:

On the flip side, Dr. Green believes that while affordable genomic analysis opens the door to personalized disease prevention and treatment options, there are still roadblocks. For example:

When it comes to health, I tend to fall on the side of information the more of it we have, the better off we are. And the rise of consumer-ready medical technology that gives us clearer windows into our bodies from Fitbits (see disclosure) to the AliveCor iPhone-compatible heart monitor is setting the stage for an era in which people are armed with even more data about their health. 23andmedoesnt do full gene sequencing but its genotyping services already let people explore their DNA for just $99.

But as we move into this new bioinformation-filled future, its important to keep the skeptics voices in mind because gene sequencing doesnt just have personal implications but public health consequences. One of Dr. Greens most haunting concerns is the rise of patients in waiting who spend their lives in anxiety, undergoing unnecessary tests and potentially doing themselves more harm than good. But asothers have noted, sequencing could take its toll on the health care system with unessential screenings and procedure, tax the patient-doctor relationship and lead to other biotethical questions.

Disclosure: True Ventures is an investor in Fitbit and the parent company of this blog, Giga Omni Media. Om Malik, founder of Giga Omni Media, is also a venture partner at True.

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As genome sequencing becomes more affordable should you do it?