Recently, while listening to a radio program predicting that within a few years we all might be able to have our genome's sequenced for much less than $1,000, it occurred to me how much medical data could be gleaned from comparing the resulting genome data with a well designed medical questionnaire.

The end result might produce new clues as to what genetic patterns are related to which medical conditions and diseases. In a macro way, the organized data from thousands or millions of human genomes could point researchers in new directions that they could then examine more closely.

Anonymous data and questionnaire results could be collected from the companies or organizations doing the genome sequencing, and people having their genome sequenced would only have to sign a form allowing their raw data to be passed along without names or any identification attached.

It seems the World Community Grid might be a perfect place to quickly crunch the data and build an open source data base that could be easily accessed by genetic researchers across the globe.

No doubt, some of the sequencing companies may want to withhold data, do their own deeper analysis and sell it to researchers, but if this macro data was organized on a grand not-for-profit scale the resulting information might have the greatest impact for human health in the shortest period of time. The sequencing companies would still be able to analyze their data in a more targeted way, but the big macro picture could be totally open source.

I am just a layman in this area, but with the rate of decline in the cost of genome sequencing accelerating thanks to new technology, now might be the time researchers should be thinking about designing a proper questionnaire, and writing the software needed to crunch all the data that will suddenly result from the cost drop.

When the cost of sequencing comes down around the cost of an annual physical, the flood of new genetic data could suddenly be overwhelming.

Again, I am just a layman and for all I know some government agency or international NGO already has big plans to do this, but I thought I might throw the idea out there just in case. The quickest and greatest benefits would undoubtedly come from a totally open source plan. We know the flood of potentially useful data is coming, the question now is: What will we do with all that potential when it suddenly arrives?