Why genome sequencing is done

Since then, this method has allowed scientists to:. Learn more about how the Listeria Whole Genome Sequencing Project has improved the detection and investigation of foodborne outbreaks. CDC is quickly expanding the use of whole genome sequencing in state laboratories, and scientists will soon begin using whole genome sequencing for outbreak investigations of other foodborne pathogens, such as Campylobacter , Shiga toxin-producing E.

These activities are critical to launching whole genome sequencing in public health laboratories and improving surveillance for foodborne disease outbreaks and trends in foodborne infections and antibiotic resistance. With modernization, CDC and its public health partners can continue to successfully detect, respond, and stop infectious diseases. Together, we can ensure rapid and less costly diagnoses for individuals and the evidence needed to quickly solve and prevent foodborne outbreaks.

Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Unlike sequencing methods currently in use, nanopore DNA sequencing means researchers can study the same molecule over and over again. Researchers now are able to compare large stretches of DNA - 1 million bases or more - from different individuals quickly and cheaply. Such comparisons can yield an enormous amount of information about the role of inheritance in susceptibility to disease and in response to environmental influences.

In addition, the ability to sequence the genome more rapidly and cost-effectively creates vast potential for diagnostics and therapies. Although routine DNA sequencing in the doctor's office is still many years away, some large medical centers have begun to use sequencing to detect and treat some diseases.

In cancer, for example, physicians are increasingly able to use sequence data to identify the particular type of cancer a patient has. This enables the physician to make better choices for treatments. Other researchers are studying its use in screening newborns for disease and disease risk. Cancer Genomics Research.

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NCI Grant Policies. Legal Requirements. Step 3: Peer Review and Funding Outcomes. Manage Your Award. How do you sequence a genome? How does DNA sequencing work? How does the sequencing machine know whether a base is an A, C, G, or T?

What happens after DNA sequences come out of the sequencing machines? How do you assemble a genome? How do scientists know if a genome sequence is right? What makes sequencing the human genome different from sequencing other genomes?

When is a genome sequence done? What's a genome map? What are genome variations? The human genome is made up of over 3 billion of these genetic letters.

Much as your eye scans a sequence of letters to read a sentence, these machines "read" a sequence of DNA bases. A DNA sequence that has been translated from life's chemical alphabet into our alphabet of written letters might look like this:. That is, in this particular piece of DNA, an adenine A is followed by a guanine G , which is followed by a thymine T , which in turn is followed by a cytosine C , another cytosine C , and so on. By itself, not a whole lot.

Genome sequencing is often compared to "decoding," but a sequence is still very much in code.