Used by researchers at a Kansas hospital to obtain entire genome sequences of newborn babies, the Illumina HiSeq 2500 is helping doctors come up with better treatments to save lives.
Until recently, it would take more than a month to conduct gene testing in neonatal care divisions. But now, thanks to the Illumina HiSeq 2500, doctors are getting gene sequencing results in about two days. According to Stephen Kingsmore, a researcher at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, this reduction in time will make gene sequencing much more useful to the medical community.
"For those of us who have been decoding genomes, it's been phenomenally frustrating that, up until now, practical medicine has not benefited from whole-genome sequencing," says Kingsmore. "We can now consider whole-genome sequencing to be relevant for hospital medicine."
Although obtaining a gene sequence from the Illumina HiSeq 2500 still costs roughly $13,500, many parents would consider it a small price to pay to ensure your child is getting the best medical care based on his or her specific DNA pattern.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Reduced Gene Testing Time
- The Illumina HiSeq 2500 machine is drastically reducing gene testing time, opening up an opportunity for genomics companies to create faster and more accurate machines.
- Whole-genome Sequencing in Hospital Medicine
- The practical medical results seen from the Illumina HiSeq 2500 will lead to an increasing opportunity for whole-genome sequencing to be incorporated into hospital medicine.
- Personalized Medicine
- Whole-genome sequencing becoming more practical in neonatal care divisions could lead to personalized genomic testing becoming a primary focus for healthcare companies.
Sectors Adopting This
- Genomics
- Genomic companies can focus on the development of faster and more affordable gene testing machines to meet the growing demand for gene testing.
- Healthcare
- Hospitals and healthcare organizations can offer whole-genome sequencing as part of their neonatal care services, providing personalized medical treatment based on an individual's genomic makeup.
- Pharmaceuticals
- Pharmaceutical companies can integrate genomic testing into their drug development process to create more personalized and effective medications based on an individual's genomic makeup.
