5 August 2026
Sequencing has transformed science—but bringing genomics into everyday healthcare remains a more complex challenge.
In the third episode of The Sequence, we sit down with Illumina Chief Medical Officer Eric Green to discuss the early days of sequencing in the 1990s and the future of genomics in healthcare.
As a clinician scientist who has worked across academia, the government, and now the private sector, Dr. Green shares his unique perspective on one of the field’s most urgent questions: How do we move from generating genomic information to using it meaningfully in health systems? “To hand a doctor a genomic blueprint and change the management of a patient is still daunting to most medical professionals.”
He reflects on why the completion of the Human Genome Project seemed like a finish line—but in reality, it was only the beginning of everything yet to come. Today, he says, the hardest barriers are no longer purely scientific. They are sociological, societal, and deeply tied to how healthcare is delivered around the world. His focus now is on expanding genomic access and helping the promise of genomics reach more people, in more places.
Host Cande Rogert, vice president and global head of advanced science, asks what keeps Illumina’s CMO up at night. For Dr. Green, access remains one of the biggest concerns—even in advanced healthcare systems. His travels have also underscored how cultural differences, clinical priorities, healthcare practices, and operational realities vary from country to country, shaping how genomics can be adopted in meaningful and sustainable ways.
Despite those challenges, Dr. Green remains in awe of how far genomics has come in just a few decades—and optimistic about where it can go next if access, implementation, and equity keep pace with discovery. “This is really going to change humankind.”
AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY
Catch up on Episode 1 with Illumina Chief Technology Officer Steve Barnard and Episode 2 with CEO Jacob Thaysen.
