Reading and interpreting the genome — whole genome sequencing — has helped to diagnose disease and genetic predispositions to disease. For example, a recent genome-wide meta-analysis linked certain regions of the genome to blood glucose and insulin levels, both of which contribute to the risk of Type 2 diabetes.6 These kinds of advances will help us identify and respond to potential threats to health.
Further advances in diagnostics will also be necessary in order to bring* genome editing into the mainstream. Whole genome sequencing is expensive, slow, and often challenging to interpret. New generations of genome editors require faster, better, and cheaper diagnostics to ensure precision, and to detect and prevent editing errors on the DNA.7 Many of the newer reading/detection methods remain laborious, however. To enable mainstream in vivo editing, these technologies need to be further refined to ensure every laboratory can easily adopt them.
