Sequencing Newborn Genomes in 48 hrs
January 28, 2014 | Terry Sharrer
Here’s the seeming dilemma: advanced sequencing technology (in this piece, an Illumina HiSeq 2500 machine) identified a child’s inherited nutritional deficiency and saved her life, but the 48 hr sequencing cost $13,500. But is this an example of new technology driving up healthcare costs? Probably not, if the expense of long term misdiagnosis is taken into account along with the probable death of the child. With neonate intensive care now averaging between $3,000 and $5,000 a day, whole genome sequencing, if successful as it was in this piece, is a bargain. MORE
Image Credit: Texas AgriLife Research photo by Kathleen Phillips