The discovery of Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as genetic material by Oswald Theodore Avery in 1944 paved the way for modern technology in the life sciences. Scientists James D. Watson and Francis Crick determined that this genetic material was composed for four bases in 1953, which lead to the central dogma of molecular biology (Liu, et al., 2009). To better understand what this chemical code means, Alan Maxam and Walter Gilbert developed the Maxam-Gilbert manual DNA sequencing method in 1976. This method uses chemical reactions to break glycoside bonds within the double stranded DNA, to create a single stranded DNA with a radioactive label on the 5’ end. The labeled substrate is then cleaved to create known endpoints and these fragments are run on a polyacrylamide gel using electrophoresis. The gel would then use …show more content…
In the 1990’s, a new method of DNA sequencing was emerging. This method was called Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). These methods are known to be more accurate, efficient, and cost effective than earlier sequencing methods. NGS technologies tend to be fundamentally different, rely heavily on bioinformatics and all have benefits and drawbacks to their utilization (Pabinger et al., 2014). In 1990, the Human Genome Project launched. This project was focused on sequencing and gene identification of the entire human genome using NGS methods (Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). Researchers found invaluable information locked within the human genome. NGS technologies allow for characterization of the human genome, and also allow for identification of mutations that can aid in diagnosis and therapy (Pabinger et al., 2014). NGS has made vast contributions to pharmacogenomics, cancer diagnostics and disease identification led by regulatory acceptance and reimbursement (Coty,