The whole genome sequences of Jim Watson and Craig Venter are early examples of personalized genomics, whichpromises to change how we approach healthcare in the future. Before personal sequencing can have practical med-ical benefits, however, and before it should be advocated for implementation at the population-scale, there needsto be a better understanding of which genetic variants influence which traits and how their effects are modifiedby epigenetic factors. Nonetheless, for forging links between DNA sequence and phenotype, efforts to sequencethe genomes of individuals need to continue; this includes sequencing sub-populations for association studies whichanalyse the difference in sequence between disease affected and unaffected individuals. Such studies can only beapplied on a large enough scale to be effective if the massive strides in sequencing technology that have recentlyoccurred also continue.
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