Genomic sequencing

Inside the cells of our bodies are chemical structures (called DNA) that carry our genetic information. DNA is made up of two strands of chemical bases, resembling a long chain that we think of as a code, sentences written in a language the body can understand.

Simple diagram of DNA

Sections of DNA, that we call ‘genes’ act as instructions for how our body should grow, develop, and function. Other sections of DNA, called ‘introns’ do not act as instructions themselves, but can be very important in the expression of genes (i.e. how the body reads and uses the instruction).

Genomic is the collective term for all of the information, both the genes and introns. Sequencing refers to the process of determining the order of the bases in a person’s DNA code.