Oh Baby: The next step in DNA sequencing

Somewhat ironically, as a geneticist, my favorite Sci-Fi movie of all time is Gattaca.  For those that have not seen the movie, it's a story set in the future where most babies are born with the help of genetic  preimplantation diagnosis so as to select out undesirable traits.  Children conceived the traditional way are discriminated against because they are thought of as inferior.  Moments after children are born, a genetic profile is run on them and predisposition to any illness and disease is determined.  This information is then used against these children in all aspects of life.

We've discussed several times on our blog about the many ways that personalized medicine and DNA sequencing is the wave of the future.  I believe it will even become the standard of care.  The question remains, however, just when does a person get their DNA sequenced?  Screening babies at birth could potentially provide the most useful information as their genetics could be used to make medical decisions prior to any illness manifesting or any medication having an adverse reaction.  There is, however, a fine line between the dystopia of the world presented in Gattaca and the usefulness of genetic information in aiding modern day medicine.  A new project called BabySeq aims to determine just this.  This study was recently funded and will examine the risks and benefits of comprehensive genome sequencing in newborns from both a physician and parent standpoint.  Although a relatively small study and only the tip of the iceberg, it should be an interesting nonetheless to see the results.