Natalia Shulzhenko, Brendan Jeffrey, Aimee Reed, and Tim Putman stand next to the Illumina Hiseq 2000 used for genome sequencing at the OSU Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing .
Genome sequencing is a relatively new technology that maps the order of DNA nucleotides in a genome—the order of As, Cs, Gs, and Ts that make up an organism’s DNA. The human genome is made up of over 3 billion of these genetic letters and decoding them has implications for improved medical treatement.
One practical application of genome sequencing is the ability of doctors to use a person’s genome sequence to prescribe a drug tailor-made for the condition. One example is a young woman whose rare disorder was diagnosed after she got her genome sequenced, and is now benefiting from improved treatment.
Scientists in the Department of Biomedical Science at the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine are also using advanced genome sequencing in research on infectious disease — they use it to study pathogens, analyze vaccines, and other applications. One researcher is investigating very rapid, inexpensive testing for Chlamydia. Read more.
