Affordable analysis of genomes ‘key to tackling diseases’

ABSTRACT

Speed read A project is aiding resource-limited scientists to analyse deadly microbes’ genetic materials Large collections can now be analysed for as little as US$10 per genome Affordable genomic analysis is key to tackling infectious diseases [NAIROBI] A project equipping researchers with cheap and accessible methods for studying genetic materials of large collections of bacteria that cause diseases could be critical in tackling future global health challenges, scientists say. According to researchers, large-scale bacterial genome analyses have been possible in only a few sequencing centres globally until now and the cost had been as much as US$100 per genome. See PDF] “Our project has provided the best understanding of the Salmonella variants responsible for bloodstream infections in African countries including Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Mali, Malawi, Kenya, Senegal and Uganda in recent years — information that will be invaluable for evaluating the impact of the [Salmonella] vaccine rollout,” Hinton explained.