The Cost of Sequencing a Human Genome

The National Human Genome Research Institute has tracked the cost of DNA sequencing since the 1980s, allowing us to compare and examine how the cost of sequencing a human genome has changed over the decades. In under two decades, the cost has decreased from $100 million to around $1000.

It is not always easy to precisely calculate the cost. There are different factors to take into consideration, such as the desired accuracy (higher accuracy will increase costs) and desired coverage. For example, during the Human Genome Project, the "draft sequence" covered 90% of the genome with 99.9% accuracy, while the "finished sequence" covered >95% of the genome with 99.99% accuracy. According to this article, most human genomes sequenced today are only "draft sequences", rather than fully "finished" sequences.

https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Sequencing-Human-Genome-cost

Zac Truesdell, potluck 2/4/2020