Cheap Genomes by IBM

IBM and Roche are partnering to build a device that can read human genomes at a low cost, according to PC World's Joab Jackson. It could still be about 10 years before the technology is ready to go to market, Jackson says, but once it's finished, IBM believes it will give doctors a cheap and fast way to examine a patient's genome. The project will utilize IBM's nanopore-containing DNA Transistor. To slow the speed of the DNA traveling through the nanopore and get a more accurate read, IBM has added an electrical control to the nanopore to help the doctor control the speed, Jackson writes. IBM says the device should be able to read an entire genome for anywhere from $100 to $1,000.