Scientists Win Asturias Prize for Fast DNA Sequencing

Why this is here: Prior to these scientists’ work, sequencing a full human genome required months and millions of euros, but now takes less than two days and costs around 300 euros.

In Spain, the Princess of Asturias Foundation awarded its 2026 Research Prize to British chemists David Klenerman and Shankar Balasubramanian, and French biophysicist Pascal Mayer. The prize recognizes their pioneering work in next-generation DNA sequencing technology. Before their developments, sequencing a complete human genome took months and cost millions of euros.

Now, genome sequencing can occur in one day at a significantly reduced cost—around 300 euros per person. The researchers independently developed complementary methods that form the basis of the widely used “ILLUMINA” technology. This technology uses reversible fluorescent markers to read nucleotide sequences and clusters DNA strands for more efficient sequencing.

Genetist Lluis Montoliu of the CNB-CSIC notes this advancement has greatly improved genetic diagnostics in hospitals. However, the article does not detail how these technologies address ethical concerns around genomic data privacy or accessibility. The work to refine and expand the applications of genomic sequencing continues.