Genomic Justice
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
What is genomic justice?
On April 14th, 2003 humanity celebrated as we sequenced the first complete homo sapiens genome. Since then, DNA sequencing has allowed us to make amazing discoveries about ourselves. This powerful technology has lead to the development of new medicines, diagnostic techniques and entirely new ways of thinking about life. Genomic Justice is about making sure that the incredible insights unlocked by DNA sequencing are available to all.
Nowadays, there are plenty of personal DNA sequencing companies out there. Perhaps you’ve heard of them, but are unsure what benefits there are to be derived from the sequencing of your DNA. If you are at all interested in what secrets you can unlock by sequencing your genetic code, you are in the right place. Here we offer detailed explanations of every DNA sequencing service that we found to be reputable. We also include instructions on how to get the most information out of your genetic code by using open-source analysis programs offered online for free! Finally, we believe there are tremendous benefits to having an inclusive dataset of human genomes available to scientists and doctors for the development of personalized medical techniques. Currently, the proportion of human genomes sequenced is biased by socioeconomic status, so the diversity in our data does not reflect the diversity on our planet. We hope to change that by using part of our proceeds to deliver DNA sequencing services to neglected populations around the world. In this way we hope to develop a more inclusive dataset, provide the medical benefits of personalized genomics to impoverished populations, and achieve an acceptable level of genomic justice.
Our plan
The cost of whole genome DNA sequencing has plummeted over the past two decades dropping from about $2.7 billion for the first human genome to $600. We intend to partner with every reputable DNA sequencing service we can find and offer their products as a third party distributor, while offering support and guidance to help individuals choose which DNA sequencing service would best fill their needs. We will offer a variety of post-hoc analysis options and eventually we plan to build out a suite of bioinformatics tools to empower people to analyze their own genetic code. We will use proceeds from selling kits through our site to purchase additional kits and distribute them to people from neglected populations. We will incorporate these genomes into the dataset of human genomes available to scientists and doctors to be used for research. In this way we hope to help provide the benefits of genome sequencing to impoverished peoples, as well as provide the benefits of a diverse dataset of genomes to the world.