Genomics: Reading and Writing Genomes

This chapter explores the incredible advances which have taken place—and are still taking place—in the technologies involved in DNA sequencing and in DNA manipulation. The invention of DNA sequencing technology enabled DNA to be read for the first time in the 1970s, using a process known as Sanger sequencing. The development of capillary sequencing then helped to speed up many genome sequencing projects, as it is faster and cheaper than the previous methods. Other developments include high-throughput short-read sequencing technologies and long-read sequencing technologies. Meanwhile, editing DNA sequences in cells using protocols such as CRISPR–Cas9 allows researchers to change the DNA sequences within cells, so they can test what specific DNA sequences do within cells and potentially change faulty sequences or improve outcomes. Writing entirely new genomes is now possible for simple cells, as it is now possible to join together long synthetic DNA sequences.