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Genome Sequencing Is Here — And It's Cheap

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Quick and inexpensive genome sequencing is no longer a distant reality. A company based in Cambridge has created a machine that can read an entire genetic code in just a few weeks, and for less than $50,000. That's how long and how much it took for the firm's founder to decode his own genome this week.

Not long ago, the process took more than a decade and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

To find out more about the gene-analyzing machine, we visited Helicos Biosciences Corporation in Kendall Square, where we spoke with Dr. Patrice Milos, vice president and chief scientific officer of the company.

This program aired on August 14, 2009.

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Deborah Becker Host/Reporter
Deborah Becker is a senior correspondent and host at WBUR. Her reporting focuses on mental health, criminal justice and education.

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