Genomic Testing as a Lifetime Health Resource?

Abstract

If lives could be saved by being “forewarned” by a genomic test, should we perform genomic testing of all babies at birth?apid developments in genomic testing methods have made the sequencing of a person’s DNA faster and cheaper than ever before. The latest gene sequencing machines can sequence all 20,000 human genes in less than 3 days at a cost of less than $2000 per person. This is comparable to the cost of testing just one gene using slightly older sequencing machines. But what are the scientific and ethical issues involved in the use of genomic information as a “lifetime health resource”? Are we ready for the wide application of genome testing in people who are otherwise well?