“Protect consumers from gene tests”

Abstract

A House of Lords committee has said the private genetic testing industry should be more tightly controlled. In this week's Scrubbing Up health column, Dr Ainsley Newson, senior lecturer in biomedical ethics at the University of Bristol says failing to heed its warning would be foolish. "Without a doubt, this is the most important, most wondrous map ever produced by human kind," said President Bill Clinton in 2000 when the first human genome sequence was published. Less than a decade later, we may soon be able to obtain our own genome sequence. “ This vast amount of information will have little meaning without professional interpretation ” For around $400 (£247), several online companies will already sell you a "snapshot" of your genome. This estimates your risk of developing certain diseases and will even predict whether you are likely to enjoy the bitterness of broccoli. But just around the corner is whole genome sequencing: your entire DNA sequence on a memory stick. Far from the $3 billion (£1.8 billion) spent on that first genome sequence, unlocking our DNA is now faster, more accurate and cheaper. The cost has reduced to less than $50,000 (£30,878). Soon it will be less than $1,000 (£647)