Our Reality

20 April 2022

On the 1st of April in 2013, the front cover of Time Magazine was adorned with a bold proclamation: “How to Cure Cancer: Yes it’s now possible”. These claims were sparked by high-profile biomedical funding pushes and research projects, most notably the Human Genome project, involving an international consortium of scientists across 20 countries over a decade and $3 billion US dollars to complete. It promised to “crack the human genetic code” and unlock cures to all sorts of disease including cancer. In the latest Biolab Collective video, I walk through the basics of DNA sequencing, with specific emphasis on “traditional” sequencing – also known as Sanger sequencing, and highlight some points of comparison to next-generation DNA sequencing platforms that have taken over the industry. The Human Genome project was an incredible achievement in the historical context of biology, but unless you are working in the field of genetics or molecular biology, it can be difficult to appreciate its impact on your everyday life. What’s the disconnect here, and why are advancements in medical research not happening at the rate we were promised? Why does our expectation not meet our reality?