With more than one million genomes mapped each year, Gene by Gene is seeing firsthand the accelerating demand for large-scale next-generation sequencing (NGS).
These new capabilities are rapidly informing and expanding our understanding of human health, identity, and heritage.
NGS: Faster results, lower costs, deeper insights
NGS is playing a crucial role in advancing genomic science. In contrast to legacy technologies that analyzed select portions of DNA, NGS helps researchers examine billions of DNA fragments.
Once largely the purview of specialized labs, NGS is now widely used in clinical diagnostics, drug development, and consumer genomics. As it converges with other multiomics approaches, NGS is transforming DNA testing by providing faster results and deeper insight at lower costs, offering new possibilities for interpreting genetic data.
A few key factors are behind NGS’s rapid expansion.
First, costs are much lower. In years past, sequencing a single human genome could cost thousands of dollars, but now that cost has dropped to the hundreds, driving broader adoption among healthcare organizations and consumers.
Similarly, turnaround times have also rapidly improved. What once took weeks or even months can now be accomplished in days or even hours, and emerging technologies are moving toward real-time genomic analysis.
No part of our world has been untouched by AI, and it’s playing an important role in making NGS more effective. With advanced robotics, researchers can streamline workflows, improve consistency, reduce manual intervention, and accelerate throughput. AI and machine learning tools help identify patterns, predict outcomes, and uncover new correlations by sifting through billions of data points generated by NGS.
A shift in DNA testing technology
Equally important to the growing use of NGS is the shift in the technology used to test DNA. The conventional approach generally involved genotyping through SNP arrays to analyze predefined genetic markers. Although useful, SNP arrays capture just a fraction of the genome.
More recently, techniques such as whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and whole-exome sequencing (WES) have emerged. These new approaches deliver much greater depth and breadth of data, helping researchers gain a more comprehensive understanding of genetic variations.
Together, these changes have created a new era of DNA testing characterized by faster, less costly, more valuable insight acquisition. Faster processing times enable patients and clinicians to respond more quickly to new genetic data. Lower costs expand access to genomic sequencing, while more granular data drives better personalization.
The progress made in NGS has wide-ranging implications for genomics and genealogy. With more precise sequencing, people can trace lineage more accurately and identify more distant relatives. Likewise, larger data sets and richer types of genetic data can improve matching accuracy.
Going forward, NGS is transitioning from a specialized tool to a mainstream capability that is widely accessible. NGS will become more widely integrated into healthcare, research, and the consumer market.. As the science evolves, so do the possibilities for revealing our family histories with greater depth and clarity than ever before.
Contacts
Gene by Gene
Josie Zohny
josie.zohny@supremecomms.ai
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