The original reference human genome sequence is nearly 20 years old
and has been regularly updated as technology advances and researchers
fix errors and discover more regions of the human genome.
However, it is fundamentally limited in its representation of the
diversity of the human species, as it consists of genomes from only
about 20 people, and most of the reference sequence is from only one
person.
“Everyone has a unique genome, so using a single reference genome
sequence for every person can lead to inequities in genomic analyses,”
said Dr. Adam Phillippy.
Structural variants can involve thousands of bases. Until now,
researchers have been unable to identify the majority of structural
variants that exist in each human genome using short-read sequencing due
to the bias of using a single reference sequence.
“The human pangenome reference will enable us to represent tens of
thousands of novel genomic variants in regions of the genome that were
previously inaccessible,” Wen-Wei Liao." SciNewsLesson from the Creation: Each individual is unique- Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Mark 10:29-31
