The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 159, Issue 6 , Pages 879-880.e1, December 2011

Ethical Considerations Associated with Clinical Use of Next-Generation Sequencing in Children

  • John D. Lantos, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, MO
    • Bioethics Center, Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics, Kansas City, MO
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: John D. Lantos, MD, Director, Children’s Mercy Bioethics Center, Children’s Mercy Hospital, 2401 Gilham Rd, Kansas City, MO 64108.
    • ,
  • Michael Artman, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, MO
    • ,
  • Stephen F. Kingsmore, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, MO
    • Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine, Kansas City, MO

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have dramatically dropped the cost of whole genome or exome (the 2% of the genome represented by coding regions) sequencing. The numbers are mind-boggling: It took $3 billion to sequence the first human genome. Today, it costs <$10 000. Soon, many predict, it will cost $1000.1 Targeted sequencing of particular panels of genes is even less expensive and has already made it possible to cost-effectively find mutations in any of hundreds of diseases in children with symptoms. These techniques may portend a new era in pediatric diagnosis.

NGS, Next-generation sequencing

 

 J.L. is supported in part by a Clinical and Translational Science Award grant from the National Institutes of Health (UL1 RR033179). The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

PII: S0022-3476(11)00731-1

doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2011.07.035

The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 159, Issue 6 , Pages 879-880.e1, December 2011

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