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Complete Genomics, a Mountain View startup, announced Tuesday that it had deciphered and delivered 14 full human genomes to customers that include pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and leading medical research institutes, a significant step for an industry whose work could revolutionize health care.
"We probably doubled the known genomes in the world," said Clifford Reid, co-founder and CEO of Complete Genomics. "This is just the beginning. The real action starts later next year. Then you'll start to see important medical results come out."
Complete Genomics is among several companies, some in Silicon Valley, that are generating excitement about the potential for DNA research. In Complete Genomics' case, the company says its technology and economies of scale have enabled it to cut the cost of sequencing a genome from about $250,000 to $4,000.
And executives at Pacific Biosciences, a Menlo Park startup backed by $260 million in investments, are predicting that their genetic-sequencing technology will be delivered next year and could lead to advances that within a few years could turn genomic profiles into a standard part of a physical exam.
All life-forms carry a genome, a full strand of chromosomes that is a reflection of its hereditary traits. Deciphering, or "sequencing," a genome generates a vast amount of raw data that researchers are trying to decode in a quest to understand how heredity influences various maladies. Reid said he expects
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