Whole Genome, Exome or Gene Panel
A gene panel reads a chosen list of genes. An exome reads the protein coding genes, a small slice of your DNA. A whole genome reads nearly all of it. One clear question can be answered by a panel. A record you can re-read for years needs a genome. Three tiers here, from £1,695.
Written and reviewed by the clinical team at The Wellness. Last reviewed 2 October 2026.
Message us about which test fits your question, or call 020 3951 3429.
When to get help today
A genetic test is never an emergency and a symptom can be. If you have chest pain, breathlessness at rest, or you lose consciousness without warning, call 999 or go to your nearest emergency department today.
If a result has frightened you this week, speak to a clinician quickly rather than searching for more of the same online. Send us the report and someone will read it.
What each test reads
A gene panel reads a defined list of genes chosen for one question, such as inherited breast and ovarian cancer risk. Panels are built by expert groups, and Genomics England publishes its consensus panels through PanelApp, Martin and colleagues, Nature Genetics, 2019.
An exome reads the exons, the parts of genes that code for proteins. In humans the exome is about 1.5% of the genome, National Human Genome Research Institute, 2019.
A whole genome reads nearly all of your DNA, including the regions between genes where the regulatory switches sit. At 30x depth each position is read about thirty times over.
What the evidence shows
The pooled evidence does not show that a genome always finds more than an exome. A meta-analysis of 37 studies and 20,068 children with suspected genetic disease found a diagnostic rate of 41% for genome sequencing and 36% for exome sequencing, and the two were not significantly different, Clark and colleagues, npj Genomic Medicine, 2018.
Where the two differ is in how evenly they read. In six people compared directly, the exome capture covered 81.5% of the consensus coding genome, and whole genome sequencing was more powerful for detecting variants even inside the exome, Belkadi and colleagues, PNAS, 2015.
A genome can also find causes outside the coding regions. A national study of patients with rare disease used whole genome sequencing to find causal variants in both coding and non-coding regions, Turro and colleagues, Nature, 2020.
Where a panel is the better choice
If you have one specific question, a panel can answer it for less. A person whose mother carried a known BRCA2 variant needs one variant checked, and a targeted test does that.
The limit of a panel is that it can only answer the question it was built for. A variant in a gene that is not on the list cannot be found, and a new question later means a new test and a new sample.
Where an exome sits
An exome costs less than a genome and reads the genes that cause most known inherited disease. It suits a focused diagnostic question in a person who is unwell, usually ordered by a specialist.
Its gaps are the regions it does not capture, structural changes that span large stretches of DNA, and the non-coding regions. It is also a snapshot, because the file is smaller and gives you less to re-read as the science moves.
What a genome adds for an adult
One sample answers many questions. The same file can be read for inherited cancer risk, inherited heart disease risk, how you process medicines and carrier status, and it can be read again when a new question comes up. The 100,000 Genomes Project pilot enrolled 4,660 participants across 161 rare disorders on this basis, The New England Journal of Medicine, 2021.
The trade is cost and volume. A genome produces far more data than any one question needs, so the value depends on a counselor who decides with you what is reported and a doctor who acts on it.
What we would do
One. A conversation with a registered genetic counselor, at no charge, before anything is taken. Bring the question you want answered, because it decides which test fits.
Two. If a panel or exome is enough, we say so. If a genome fits, saliva at home or a blood draw in Marylebone, sequenced at 30x in a laboratory accredited to ISO 15189.
Three. The result read with a doctor, written into your record, and read again as the evidence moves.
Start with the first conversation
Message us to book the first conversation
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a gene panel, an exome and a whole genome? A panel reads a chosen list of genes, an exome reads the protein coding genes, and a whole genome reads nearly all of your DNA. They differ in how much they read, what they can find and how long the result stays useful. Tiers here start at £1,695.
Is a whole genome better than an exome? It depends on the question. In a meta-analysis of 20,068 children the diagnostic rates were 41% and 36% and not significantly different, Clark and colleagues, 2018. A genome reads more evenly and covers non-coding regions, which matters when the exome has found nothing.
When is a gene panel enough? When you have one specific question, such as one known family variant or one cancer syndrome. We will tell you if a panel answers it and a genome adds nothing for you.
Will a genome find everything? No. It cannot read every kind of change equally well, and many variants are of uncertain meaning. The counselor explains what is reported and what is not before you decide.
Can I start with a panel and add a genome later? Yes. Anything you have done stays in your record, and a genetic counselor tells you what a later genome would add beyond it. Many people begin with the narrowest test that answers their question, and move to a wider one only if a real reason appears.
Will you tell me not to buy the genome? Yes, when that is the answer. A person with one clear question that a targeted test answers gets that advice before they pay anything, because the first conversation is free and its purpose is to find the right test for you, not the biggest one.
Message us before you choose a test, or call 020 3951 3429.
This page is information and not a diagnosis. Sequencing does not replace examination, history or blood work, and no result guarantees an outcome. If you are unwell today, see a doctor today. In an emergency call 999.
References
Rueda Martin A, Williams E, Foulger RE, et al. PanelApp crowdsources expert knowledge to establish consensus diagnostic gene panels. Nature Genetics, 2019;51:1560-1565. 10.1038/s41588-019-0528-2
National Human Genome Research Institute. Exome, genetics glossary, genome.gov, 2019.
National Human Genome Research Institute. The cost of sequencing a human genome, fact sheet, genome.gov, 2019.
Clark MM, Stark Z, Farnaes L, et al. Meta-analysis of the diagnostic and clinical utility of genome and exome sequencing and chromosomal microarray in children with suspected genetic diseases. npj Genomic Medicine, 2018;3:16. 10.1038/s41525-018-0053-8
Belkadi A, Bolze A, Itan Y, et al. Whole-genome sequencing is more powerful than whole-exome sequencing for detecting exome variants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2015;112(17):5473-5478. 10.1073/pnas.1418631112
Turro E, Astle WJ, Megy K, et al. Whole-genome sequencing of patients with rare diseases in a national health system. Nature, 2020;583:96-102. 10.1038/s41586-020-2434-2
The 100,000 Genomes Project Pilot Investigators. 100,000 Genomes Pilot on Rare-Disease Diagnosis in Health Care, Preliminary Report. The New England Journal of Medicine, 2021;385:1868-1880. 10.1056/NEJMoa2035790
ISO 15189:2022. Medical laboratories, requirements for quality and competence. International Organization for Standardization.