Abstract
Sequencing an individual's complete genome is expected to be possible for a relatively low sum ‘one thousand dollars’ within a few years. Sequencing refers to determining the order of base pairs that make up the genome. The result is a library of three billion letter combinations. Cheap whole-genome sequencing is of greatest importance to medical scientific research. Comparing individual complete genomes will lead to a better understanding of the contribution genetic variation makes to health and disease. As knowledge increases, the ‘thousand-dollar genome’ will also become increasingly important to healthcare. The applications that come within reach raise a number of ethical questions. This monitoring report addresses the issue.
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Acknowledgements
This monitoring report was drawn up by Dr Wybo J Dondorp and Prof Guido MWR de Wert (Maastricht University, Research schools GROW and CAPHRI) under the auspices of the Health Council's Standing Committee on Medical Ethics and Health Law. A previous version was reviewed by the Standing Committees on Medicine and Genetics. The research for this monitoring report partly took place within the framework of a project of the Centre for Society and Genomics (project no. 70.1.070), part of the Netherlands Genomics Initiative.
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This report was written for the Standing Committee on Health Care Ethics and Law of the Health Council of the Netherlands. It was published by the Health Council of the Netherlands in December 2010, in the series ‘Monitoring Reports Ethics and Health’: http://www.gezondheidsraad.nl/sites/default/files/201015E.pdf. The report was accepted by the Public and Professional Policy Committee (PPPC) of the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) as a background document to its recommendations document ‘Whole genome sequencing and analysis and the challenges for health care professionals: recommendations of the European Society of Human Genetics’. Eur J Hum Genet, 2013.
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Dondorp, W., de Wert, G. The ‘thousand-dollar genome’: an ethical exploration. Eur J Hum Genet 21 (Suppl 1), S6–S26 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejhg.2013.73
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejhg.2013.73
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