"DNA - What is it Telling Us?" by Prof Sir Shankar Balasubramanian | 10 Jan 2024

IAS NTU Lee Kong Chian Distinguished Professor Public Lecture by Prof Sir Shankar Balasubramanian , Millennium Technology Prize 2020; University of Cambridge.
DNA is a linear molecule made up of four building blocks, often abbreviated to the letters G, C, T and A. The sequence of these four letters constitutes a code that comprises 3.2 billion letters in a copy of the human genome. The International Human Genome Project used an approach developed by Fred Sanger to generate the first human genome reference in a global collaboration that spanned a decade. Over 20 years ago, during the course of some basic scientific experiments, a collaboration with David Klenerman and our co-workers, unexpectedly led us to conceive and then pursue a different way of sequencing DNA. The initial experiments ultimately led to a rapid, low-cost sequencing approach, which was developed and commercialised through a company we co-founded, called Solexa. Today the technique is able to sequence human, and other, genomes at a cost and speed that shows over a million-fold improvement compared to when Sir Shankar and his collaborators began the project in 1997. He also discussed the impact of the technology on life sciences, medicine and society along with a vision of what the future holds.