Predictions

1/4/2019

I started this blog 8 years ago, and since that time I’ve had some starts and stops based on my vanishingly small amount of free time. I would like to take this time to review some of the predictions I made over this time. Even with all the twists and turns the Genomics industry has taken in that time some of these were pretty accurate.

• Technology Gap – This is still a huge issue in research. The accessibility of genomic technologies, combined with large available patient pools have reduced the need for hypothesis development ahead of testing. Nonetheless, the discoveries have continued to inevitably flow and the well has no signs of running dry.
• Genome Data Mining & The Age of Bioinformatics – This was pretty on-target, we have a huge ocean of data at this point and there is a great need to analyze it. However, journals still usually require new data for publication, making the idea of an entirely in silico research lab still out of reach. I would still see this coming to be, as there seems to be an inevitable global trend toward automation of everything.
• The new “Gene” – Many groups continue to focus on complex inheritance, pushing beyond the basic disease cases into more complex areas with greater potential benefit to patients.
• Broader Interactions – Global genome organizers are still an area of interest, but more needs to be done to make them a reality.
• Why you will sequence your kids’ genomes – This was pretty accurate. However, prenatal screening has focused on targeted panels rather than shifting to whole genome or exome technology. This has been largely due to regulatory requirements and the burden of completing WGS and dealing with the data. This will likely become a reality, but it will probably take longer than I first imagined.