The ultimate in self reflection? DNA mapping for under $5000

DNA 11 - hang this above your bed and make an informed decision about contraception?  

An interesting article published in the New York Times yesterday 'Dawn of Low-Price Mapping Could Broaden DNA Uses'  (you may need to sign up to see this article - but its free), talks about, as you might have guessed from the title, the significant lowering of the price of complete personal genome sequencing.

Complete Genomics, a start-up company in where else but Mountain View California, will next year begin offering complete personal genome sequencing for around $5000.  Initially they will not be offering the sequencing technique directly to consumers but rather will be targeting pharmaceutical companies and research laboratories.  According to the article, the cost of Genome Sequencing has been coming down by a factor of 10 every year with the average cost currently at around $100 000 per genome.  Complete Genomics expects to have 1000 genomes sequenced by the end of 2009 and 20 000 done by the end of 2010 - this is particularly impressive given that the total number of sequences completed to date is 'at most in double digits'.

This gives them a pretty impressive potential revenue stream - over $100mil in turn over by the end of 2010.  They are currently in the process of raising funding and finding partners to help them build 10 sequencing centres at a cost of $50mil each.  How could they raise such money and who are there potential partners?

Well my first thought was this: a) Iceland has been hit very hard by the global credit crunch (see numerous articles in the Financial Times ), b) deCode Genetics which currently owns the rights to basically the entire Icelandic populations genetic data (BBC article) has is basically in dire straights and has just been hit with a Nasdaq deficiency notice relating to market value (see here), c) surely this provides the ideal opportunity for some sort of take over bid by a pharmaceutical company (Roche has already invested $200million making them an ideal candidate) or a consortium of venture capitalists, utilising a partnership agreement with Complete Genomics?  

Anyone who reads this and gets rich on the opportunity, I want in!  Actually I have about $2000 dollars saved, with deCode's stock declining at the rate it is, maybe I can buy them...

I'll be following developments with interest (you can follow the news on my blog list) and am just about to send an email to Complete Genomics asking for a job - with stock options...