The Real Cost

Consumables shouldn't be the only consideration when tallying up the cost of sequencing, writes David Dooling at PolITiGenomics. While they used to be a large portion of the cost of sequencing, Dooling calculates that consumable now make up only about half of the price tag. The rest includes instrument depreciation, LIMS and IT support costs, salaries for researchers, and more. "Put this all together and your $10,000 genome costs about $30,000," he writes, later adding that "regardless of the cost contribution of consumables at present, the cost of consumables are projected to fall below $5,000 by the end of this year, and they won’t stop there. As such, it is already meaningless to only quote consumable costs when stating the price of sequencing a genome. By the end of the year, it will be ridiculous."