In 2016, the Healthy Nevada initiative partnered with DNA test service providers to provide 5,000 citizens with a free DNA testing kit for participating in the program. “Within 24 hours, 5,000 individuals had breached our website and joined up pretty excitedly,” says project leader Joseph Grzymski of the Desert Research Institute’s Reno campus.
Consumers are flocking to these testing even without an invitation or a freebie. According to industry estimates, more than 7 million people, mainly in the United States, donated their DNA to testing businesses last year.
Business in General
Companies claim to be able to read almost everything about a person’s DNA profile as they do in paternity testing. Some companies use DNA information to trace family trees or provide dietary and exercise advice to help people lose weight or gain muscle. Others go even farther, believing that a few genetic tests might indicate a child’s future potential.
Do you need assistance selecting a wine? One business claims that a test of polymorphisms in a few genes connected with taste and scent and a simple quiz would provide selections that will delight your palette. Some kits purport to show superhero skills or allow two pals to digitally mix their DNA to see what their kid will look like.
These businesses are part of a rising movement known as customized and precision medicine. DNA data is being added to medical records by health care systems worldwide, including Estonia, Finland, England, and other countries, in the hopes of better tailoring treatments to specific individuals or perhaps preventing sickness. Consumer testing organizations use datasets from publically funded research resources to develop predictions regarding a customer’s health.
Some testing organizations share their data with academics studying human health and genetics, while others do their research and sell the information to pharmaceutical companies. I choose to permit corporations to share my knowledge with researchers. You are not obligated to accept that choice, but I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to science.
There will be no Drama.
Scientists say genome sequencing isn’t beneficial for most individuals at this point in research. According to Literature, DNA sequencing can help diagnose puzzling hereditary disorders and uncover cancer-causing mutations. However, scientists doubt the benefit for healthy people. “If you don’t have such a problem, your chances of discovering something that can help you medically are substantially smaller.”
Customers may also find out if they have an APOE gene variation related to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and mutations in the LRRK2 and GBA genes connected to Parkinson’s disease. The business can also inform you about genetic variations that raise your chance of macular degeneration, celiac disease, and other diseases with well-established hereditary links. All of this is done without needing a referral or a prescription.
Disease Gene Mapping
According to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, labs should inform clients who have their genes checked for dangerous variations in 59 genes. People who know they have such variations can take measures, such as undergoing more regular screenings.
Checking the Facts
Unlike uncommon single-gene disorders, the bulk of common characteristics, diseases, and conditions result from several genes cooperating. Polygenic characteristics are the term for such circumstances.
Hundreds of gene variations have been related to the condition, but none of them is the only determinant that determines whether or not someone will acquire it. Most SNPs have little impact on a person’s risk of developing a disease; lifestyle and environment also play a role.
There is no Assistance Available.
Participants in weight-loss research lost the same amount of weight on low-carb or low-fat diets, regardless of whether three gene polymorphisms suggested one diet strategy was better than the other.
Gardner says, “It seemed credible.” As a result, the researchers extended the trial to include over 600 overweight and obese patients, randomly allocating each participant to a low-fat or low-carb diet. After a year, the researchers looked at the individuals’ weight loss: Did a diet based on a person’s genetics help them lose weight?
Obesity is a complicated condition. More than 200 genetic variations have been related to body weight in studies, but none explain why people’s weight varies considerably. “It’s not like there’s one answer, and we’ll have it in 10 years,” Gardner adds. “As time goes on, the solutions will become increasingly evident. Next year, we could have a couple. They won’t be the be-all and end-all solutions.”
Reactions to Drugs
What good is DNA testing clinics if they can’t tell much about your health, nutrition, or exercise? Even the most skeptic researchers I spoke with agreed that one field holds promise: pharmacogenetics, or the study of how genetic variations influence how people react to drugs.
The individual Determines the Dosage.
Fifty individuals were screened for gene variations through a DNA test anticipated to alter the optimal medication dose in one research. The blue bars represent the percentage of people who, due to their genes, would require a more significant or lower dose of a given medicine than is typical. The gold bar depicts the high likelihood that at least one of the five common medications will require a different dosage.
