Mainstream DNA testing is an intriguing, yet an apprehensive practice that has recently taken modern households and Christmas gift list by storm. Not only does the person being tested benefit from this occurrence, but the companies that test and send out the test kits do as well. Companies such as 23 & Me, Genos, and Veritas market their test kits as ways to empower the average person with the knowledge of their genetic history and family background. 23 & Me even when as far as to get a movie marketing sponsorship with Despicable Me 2 to promote their testing kits internationally.
The kits a person is sent include a test tube and some directions. The individual is then promoted to extract saliva into the test tube and send it back to the company for testing. 23 & Me’s website claims the sample is then qualitatively genotyped against a sample sequence with “normal” genes. Other companies, such as Veritas, say that 23 & Me only sequence 1% of your genome, as opposed to Veritas sequences your “whole” genome. I feel this is unlikely as its very time consuming and expensive to sequence a person’s entire genome from just a saliva sample and this method would prove extremely cost-ineffective.
On this note, saliva is an innovative way of testing a genome; however, some limitations apply to this technique. Discrepancies could arise from inaccurate sample collection or testing. Other discrepancies include the fact that generic sequencing looks at positions of interest on the genome. These positions of interest were determined by similar samples from people with the same genetic mutations having the same positions of interest. There could be a discrepancy in this form of testing, as the idea of DNA testing has could a long way from Mendel but is still the most intricate form of biology yet to be tackled.
If I were to take a DNA test and the results showed I had a genetic mutation that could alter the timeline of my life, I may take a second to rethink my plans. My friend who's grandmother recently passed from Alzheimer’s Disease contemplates this question frequently. There are pros and cons to knowing your fate when you have no control over it. She says if he ever were to get DNA tested and the results showed she had a predisposition from Alzheimer’s disease, she would get further testing done, talked to a more specialized physician, and reevaluate her life plans, choices, and goals.
Personally, I would not want to be DNA tested and like to continue live in ignorant bliss of the life I am bound to live anyway. Another problem with DNA testing is the mass collection of a people’s individual genetic identities. I do not feel comfortable with a company, who can be bought or hacked, having my DNA. Insurance companies could use this information to increase premiums or change plans for something you cannot control. Privacy is valuable in individual healthcare.
From a “greater good” perspective of healthcare, DNA testing is extremely beneficial. DNA testing should consensual and have an extremely honest policy. If this practice is going to be privatized, the companies should hold the individual’s privacy to the highest standard. I think DNA testing is essential to furthering human knowledge regarding genetic disorders but is a tricky landscape to map as far as a collection of samples and from what population the samples are collected from.
23andMe. (n.d.). DNA Genetic Testing & Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.23andme.com/?new=true
Whole Genome Sequencing and Interpretation: myGenome. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.veritasgenetics.com/myGenome
Rutherford, A. (2018, October 15). How Accurate Are Online DNA Tests? Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-accurate-are-online-dna-tests/