A project announced last month called FairGen could lead to the Faroe Islands being the first place in the world to sequence the genomes of its 50,000 residents. Already in effect in the self-governing Danish territory is a pilot project to sequence the genomes of 100 people. If the approximate $50 million cost of FairGen can be covered, all inhabitants will have their genomes sequenced within the next five years. In 2009, a project screened nearly half the Islands’ residents for carnitine transporter deficiency (CTD), a genetic defect more likely to occur in the sequestered Faroese population that can result in sudden death among young adults and can be treated with carnitine supplements. FairGen will first sequence five genomes from people with CTD. Illumina will sequence these genomes. An issue for FairGen will be maintaining the privacy of individuals. A person’s sequence will be tied to his medical records, but the sequence will not be available. However, a report could be obtained under a freedom of information act.

Source: ScienceInsider