Can IT fuel the race to the $1,000 human genome?

Software as a Service to the rescue..."Software vendors should collaborate with the next-generation DNA sequencer providers, bioinformatics experts, and genomic researchers to develop research-specific - e.g. whole genome sequencing, gene expression, microRNA discovery, microbial sequencing, and genetic variation detection - software applications"...and there's a lot to be learned in health care from other industries...BD

Thus far, the race to the $1,000 genome is neck-and- neck. Currently, the lack of software and sufficient data storage are major obstacles that next-generation sequence providers are attempting to hurdle. Technology vendors can help them cross the finish line faster by providing robust data management and storage systems and working with the healthcare and life science industries to develop relevant software applications. The research and medical communities are anxiously watching this race to the finish. Who will win the coveted $10 million Archon X Prize? Who will dominate this multi-billion dollar market?

Since the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, which took over a decade and cost over $300 million, the idea of personalized medicine and using genetic testing for medical procedures has become much more of a reality. Decoding a whole human genome is far too costly, and so, several companies are in a race to develop the next-generation DNA sequencer that will drive down the costs of sequencing a person's genome to $1,000, and to win the $10 million Archon X Prize - awarded to the company that successfully sequences 100 human genomes in 10 days for $10,000 per genome.