What is an "ethical consumer?

What are some possible consumer applications of mobile genomic sequencing?

• Thanks to the faster-than-Moore's-Law pace of whole-genome sequencing technology, we're quickly approaching a world where semiconductor-size sequencers can be embedded into smartphones as LoCs (lab-on-a-chip). What are some possible consumer applications of this? Get creative. Remember: keep it consumer-focused. There are many applications outside of the consumer scope like being able to quickly sequence large swaths of the population since the tech is so mobile (which would be great). But for this question, think more in terms of personal uses (maybe even 'sci-fi' things like games), anything in that vein. This question is tough to answer because genomic sequencing is at such an infantile stage at the moment. It's like asking people in the 1980's to imagine consumer uses of computers and expecting them to say eBay, Facebook, and Pandora (to name just a few)!

• Answer:

  The idea that there will exist a chip that measures your genome the way that, say, a glucose meter measures your blood sugar is patently absurd, no matter how much the technology can be shrunk. I don't say that in the spirit that, say, the founder of DEC claimed there would never be a need for a computer on a desk. I mean that in the sense that the field, on a mobile phone, is a terrible place to be doing analytical work. The scenario presented by GATTACA, where you take a sample to a window and get a result, is much more likely. The breathlessly optimistic are ignoring the fact that current technology assumes you have a purified sample of DNA, There are two steps needed before you get to the chip, including separating the DNA from the cells and fragmenting the DNA to a size you can work with. The http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/extraction/ can give you an idea of what is involved with getting DNA away from a sample, and since this currently involves a series of batch steps transferring between various liquids and the solid phase, there's no way all of them could be performed in a flow cell. Since it involves some amount of flammable solvent, it is much more likely that these activities, including http://mmjggl.caltech.edu/sequencing/Genomic_DNA_Sample_Prep_1003806_RevB.pdf, will be performed by robots and as such, having refillable starting materials and a desktop-sized robot simply will always make sense, until the cost of robot miniaturization makes disposable nanorobots a possibility. Remember, though- the library beads are assembled as part of the chip, so the idea that the "lab on a chip" is actually just the "lab" part of a lab is a misconception. While the size of the chip and the length of the reads have come down significantly, it's not been really a Moore's law process- it's been more of a generational change, with the latest tech still in the same sized box. The curve highlighted in the question is most likely an S curve, and we are on the tail of it. It might take one more swoosh down, but compare the computing power of the microprocessor to the size of the desktop computer- the size of the kit, the box around it, really didn't follow Moore's law down. You went from the next gen filling a room, to the penultimate gen going to a desktop, room/desktop/room/desktop. Tablet forms are great for consuming data, but aren't as good when you need to put stuff into them- they represent a new, generational shift in use case. A desktop only requires electricity to operate- this will require purified water, salt solutions, alcohols, etc. To get a peek at what a mobile sequencer might look like, take a look at the portable ultrasound imaging machine. It is much more likely that a purpose built device about this size would take the swab and have a series of snap on tubes containing the appropriate reagents and beads for library building, chip and light scanner for reads, and a minicomputer for sequence assembly and quantitation. A nurse practitioner could, in front of the patient, sequence a throat swab for bacteria or viruses to determine if the patient would benefit from an antiviral or an antibacterial. The sequencing could immediately target whether or not the symptoms are from the flu that's going around, or some nasty ebolamonkeypig hybrid. If the machines are competitively priced with the VScan shown above, they will be less than $10k (http://vscanultrasound.gehealthcare.com/collections/total-collection is $8k). The average mobile use case for such tech will be Doctors without Borders: whereby everything I need to be helicoptered in would fit in a backpack or carry-on. DNA will never be used to authenticate, as / suggests, because anyone can pluck a sample off of someone and authenticate it. It is inherently, as a process, vulnerable to man in the middle attacks, or GATTACA style borrowed ladders- it's no better than a password or fingerprint, just a really expensive one. In fact, the ultrasound detector above might be a better authentication device, reading not only a fingerprint but perhaps the dimensions of an internal organ. Reality: it's much more likely that implantable RFID is the right way to go there. In terms of adulteration of consumer products- DNA is HIGHLY unlikely the worst concern- it's more the presence of things like toxins and other nasty chemicals. Currently, the technology of choice for this is Raman FTIR, and is used at places like the loading dock to confirm the identity of materials shipped. If you want to see the future of sequencing, follow the present of ultrasonic imaging. Think about all of the ways in which you might want to see the insides of something, and then take a step back. DNA sequencing is destructive- it destroys the sample, however small, of the thing in question. You have to be able to get at it, so sequencing a tumor will always require a biopsy or blood draw. Sequencing a canned good will require opening the can. Sequencing living things requires stopping them long enough to catch a sample, or with microbes, getting a good enough swab to isolate them. Other than that, exactly what is your average consumer going to do with a portable sequencer? In combination with other things, like a medical star-trekky tricorder, yes- but always in the hands of a knowledgeable professional. Ten or twenty years ago, an ultrasound was something you paid big bucks for- a couple thousand dollars. In the last couple of years, that's come down to about a thousand (e.g. http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2011/08/my-ultrasound-three-tests-three-pricetags ). Nowadays, your doctor doesn't even need to pre-clear the expense with insurance! If you're optimistic about the lab on a chip "revolutionizing" things, consider the fact that the cost of an ultrasound, even though it involves nothing more than an input device ( a glorified microphone) and a computer, it has had no Moore's law miracle in its pricing. That's because the pricetag is not the equipment, but the people using it, and GxP. If a basic ultrasound machine can be bought for $8k, and you need it a handful of times over your life, would you really go out and buy one today at Best Buy or Radio Shack even if in the hospital it costs $2k/scan?