It seems longer, but it was only seven years ago that the Human Genome Project deciphered the sequence of the 3 billion nucleotides that make up a single human blueprint or genome. That project cost more than $3 billion and took 13 years. But the speed of sequencing has been increasing dramatically while the cost has been dropping in a similar fashion. On Wednesday, researchers revealed the sequences of the genomes for five more people, bringing the total number of known genomes close to 20. The new findings are a "technological tour de force," said Story Landis, director of the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke. But what makes the technology even more impressive, she said, is that these were whole genomes of people that provided "very interesting stories about rare diseases." Dr. James Lupski of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease in his teens, as were three of his seven siblings. The genetic disease, often called CMT, affects about one in every 2,500 Americans and is caused by a loss of function in nerves, impeding the transmission of electrical impulses that control movements and sensory information sent back to the brain. Because nerves to the feet have the longest distance to travel, the extremities are the first things to be affected. The disorder produces foot deformities, drop foot and other difficulties that can be corrected surgically. Lupski has so far&#…[...]

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Five new human genomes decoded, marking a transition to more personalized medicine