Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Knome is the first personal genomics company in the world to commercially offer a whole-genome sequencing and analysis service. The company was co-founded by entrepreneurs Jorge Conde and Sundar Subramaniam, as well as Harvard professor George Church. It is "dedicated to helping individuals obtain, understand, and share their personal genomic information in a manner that is both anonymous and secure."
The company completed its first sequencing of a human genome in 2003 after a 12-year endeavor costing $3 billion at the time. Within the past several years, the price has dropped significantly, and the company can now offer the service for a mere $350,000 per participant. However, due to the length of the sequencing process, the company will only accept 20 participants in this initial offering.
"We expect this evolution to quickly usher in a new era in personalized medicine," said Church.
And in addition to being utilized for health purposes — 20,000 genes are analyzed for nearly 2,000 common and rare conditions — genome sequencing can also provide insight into your past by revealing your ancestry and genealogy.
Although the price is higher than those of other companies such as 23andMe, deCODE Genetics, and Navigenics who offer similar services that typically run between $985 and $2,500, Knome's analysis process is far more advanced. Other companies are only able to provide a brief snapshot of the person being analyzed, looking at a mere 1 million gene variations. Knome's process, on the other hand, inspects all 6 billion bits of information.
"To date, Craig Venter [who played a significant role in the founding of human genome sequencing] and James Watson [co-discoverer of the structure of DNA] are the only named individuals to have their genome sequenced. Our first 20 clients will have a historic opportunity to help pioneer the emerging field of personal genomics. They will be among the first to know and the first to benefit from the latest advances in our rapidly developing understanding of the human genome," said Jorge Conde, Knome's CEO.
Knome's groundbreaking services will enable anyone who participates to achieve the highest level of introspection and self-awareness that there is. And once you get there, you may just attain the ultimate extension of knowing oneself: understanding others as well.
