DNA testing has become very mainstream and popularized by social media in trying to find out not only your ethnic ancestry but also discovering your genetic history and what diseases run in your genetic history as well as other mutations. These tests work mainly by sending you a package including directions and a test tube that you must fill with saliva to be returned to them for testing in a lab. Results usually take 3-5 weeks according to 23andMe and they look for variants in your DNA and report their results to you. These tests are supposedly very accurate, but some tests can have discrepancies with each other because they might be looking at different genes that code for the same thing. About 97% of our DNA is practically identical to other humans because they code for organ structures and body processes which is why we can all function as humans. However, that other 2-3% of DNA varies and codes for hair color, eye color, etc. This is the DNA sequencing that these companies look at.
They look for everything from risk of contracting diseases like Diabetes to Alzheimer’s as well as methods on how to best reduce your risk of getting these diseases. Each of the three companies mentioned in the prompt does it a little different from each other. Veritas Genetics and 23andMe can determine if the person has a particular carrier of the gene. Veritas can also tell people if they carry autosomal recessive conditions. Genos performs an exome analysis of the DNA and 23andMe genotypes individuals while Veritas sequences the whole genome of a person.
It can be exciting to receive this kind of information. It reveals information about your ancestry and where you came from but also goes into your risk of developing certain diseases that can be upsetting. Let’s say a person get their test results back and it shows the genetic information shows an extremely high chance of getting diagnosed with Alzheimer’s later in life. This can be extremely frightening and can give the participant increased anxiety for the rest of their life waiting for them to get the diagnoses and slowly lose their memory and cognition. I believe some things are better left unknown. While some notifications about your genetic predispositions can be helpful other can really ruin your quality of life.
It is also unsettling to know that these companies have your genetic information stored away. While all of them say that it is confidential it doesn’t stop someone from breaking into the facility and stealing your information and then selling it to companies or other people. However, with an eye toward the future of personalized medical care based on your DNA, this info could be extremely helpful with how care in the future could be handled.
This is all a very complicated situation that I think could drastically change within the next 5-10 years. I am excited yet also scared to see where it will/could go.
23andMe. (n.d.). DNA Genetic Testing & Analysis. Retrieved from: https://www.23andme.com/?new=true.
Genos. (n.d.). Crowdsourcing Cures on your terms. Retrieved from: https://genos.co/.
Rutherford, Adam. “How Accurate Are Online DNA Tests?” Scientific American, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2018, www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-accurate-are-online-dna-tests/.
Veritas. (n.d.) Whole Genome Sequencing Company. Retrieved from: https://www.veritasgenetics.com/.