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The HGP likely sped up the COVID vaccine - by making DNA sequencers and printers cheap. Viral genomes are typically obtained by taking a swab from a human, mapp
by haihaibye 6y ago
The HGP likely sped up the COVID vaccine - by making DNA sequencers and printers cheap. Viral genomes are typically obtained by taking a swab from a human, mapping the reads to the human genome, so only viral sequences are left.
- dekhn 6y agoA thousand different technologies were required to make the COVID vaccine. Having the HGP helped, that's for sure. My main complaint is that the HGP leaders basically sold the public and government on a list of accomplishments that never materialized, and yet the underlying data has been invaluable in a wide range of different health problems that they didn't think it would be useful for.
- wespiser_2018 6y agoDNA Printers, or a technique known as "solid phase synthesis" is a different technology that was used by the HGP, but not developed or advanced by them.
- dekhn 6y agoI remember using these 20 years ago to make RNA (they can make RNA as well as DNA, if you add the right reagents, which IIRC were obscenely expensive). They'd run with various pumps and relays clicking. I got 40 OD of a single RNA duplex, and proceeded to... wash it down the drain, since I was an idiot in the lab.
- wespiser_2018 6y agoRNA is a fickle beast!
- haihaibye 6y agoBy "making... cheap" the mechanism I meant was it drastically increased the market size, and thus ushered in economies of scale in these technologies.