Genomics

Genomics is the study of an organism’s genome or genetic material. In humans, genetic materials are stored in the form of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA). These are the instructions that make up a human being, and 99.9% of the genomes in humans are identical and only 0.1% is different, which accounts for the differences in physical characteristics, such as eye color. Most of these variations are harmless, but some variants can cause health conditions, such as sickle cell anemia. Therefore, the analysis of such information can be used to predict or prevent a disease or provide personalized treatment, also known as precision medicine. There are four chemical bases present in DNA, namely adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). They always bond in a particular manner; for example, adenine will always bond with thymine, and cytosine with guanine. The combination of these chemical bases is what makes up a DNA sequence.

Sequencing is at the heart of genomics...