Gene sequencing what is

Bowden said when Wuhan experienced the first outbreak, the genomes in the city were mostly identical. He said while genomic testing was particularly informative for tracing current outbreaks in countries that are recording continued and significant transmission, earlier on in the pandemic, the method would not be as useful.

A genomic epidemiologist then matched the historical data of each strand recorded to the patient that provided the sample. Matching the genomic findings to epidemiological information means authorities can tell if a new patient caught a virus from a known source of the virus, and can work to identify the point or person of transmission.

It also means authorities can divert resources more urgently into understanding and containing a case if genomic testing shows someone has caught a strain previously only recorded in a different geographic area. This is because the transmissions originated from just one person, as opposed to several people passing it along and giving a strain further chances to mutate.

This enables the physician to make better choices for treatments. Other researchers are studying its use in screening newborns for disease and disease risk.

Another National Institutes of Health program examines how gene activity is controlled in different tissues and the role of gene regulation in disease. Ongoing and planned large-scale projects use DNA sequencing to examine the development of common and complex diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, and in inherited diseases that cause physical malformations, developmental delay and metabolic diseases.

Comparing the genome sequences of different types of animals and organisms, such as chimpanzees and yeast, can also provide insights into the biology of development and evolution. What is DNA sequencing? How new is DNA sequencing? What new sequencing methods have been developed? Are newer sequencing technologies under development? What do improvements in DNA sequencing mean for human health?

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