Commercial DNA Testing May Cause Harm, Scientific Studies Show (If You Read Through to the Study Limitations at the End)
By Cecile Janssens,
Huffington Post
| 12. 22. 2014
Untitled Document
A year after the US Food and Drug Administration urged 23andMe to stop the marketing of its personal genome test in the United States, the world's largest direct-to-consumer genetics company relaunched the test in Canada and the United Kingdom.
"Find out how your genetics relate to things like abnormal blood clotting, cystic fibrosis or response to certain medications." [italics added] "Keep in mind that many conditions and traits are influenced by multiple factors. Our reports are intended for informational purposes only and do not diagnose disease or illness."
The UK website of 23andMe opens with clarifying statements about how the company wants us to see their renewed test. "The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency ... has determined that we're not a medical product, more an information product," says 23andMe's CEO Anne Wojcicki in The Guardian.
As it seems, 23andMe has relaunched its DNA test as the information service it was in the beginning: a service that offers a personalized exploration about what science knows about your genes, how they relate to your health and what...
Related Articles
By Annika Inampudi, Science | 08.01.2025
In June, Sara* received a message asking whether she wanted to continue to participate in a massive, multicenter research project led by scientists at Aarhus University in Denmark. The iPsych study, the message said, had sequenced her genetic data from...
The Center for Genetics and Society is delighted to recommend the current edition of GMWatch Review – Number 589. UK-based GMWatch, a long-standing ally, was founded in 1998 by Jonathan Matthews as an independent organization seeking to counter the enormous corporate political power and propaganda of the GMO industry and its supporters. Matthews and Claire Robinson are its directors and managing editors.
CGS works to ensure that social justice, equity, human rights, and democratic governance are front...
By Katherine Drabiak, Journal of Medical Ethics Forum | 08.07.2025
Adapted from Mitochondrial DNA at
National Human Genome Research Institute
Recently, media outlets around the world have been reporting on children born from pronuclear genome transfer (sometimes called “3-parent IVF,” “mitochondrial donation” or “mitochondrial replacement therapy”) at Newcastle Fertility Center...
By Annika Inampudi, Science | 07.10.2025
Before a baby in the United States reaches a few days old, doctors will run biochemical tests on a few drops of their blood to catch certain genetic diseases that need immediate care to prevent brain damage or other serious...
