Critics Say Cal's Genetic Tests Ignore 'Asian Flush' Risks

Berkeley's incoming freshmen face the unprecedented choice of whether to take part in a genetic testing program this fall. But the students who volunteer for the controversial new test may get more than they bargained for if it turns up a gene deficiency responsible for what is known as "the Asian flush."

The gene has complex health implications that go beyond the surface symptom of a red face after downing an alcoholic drink or two. Even social drinkers are at higher risk of developing deadly esophageal cancer if they have a deficient version of the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) gene, according to years of research.

That knowledge seems missing so far from the University of California-Berkeley's education initiative about genetic testing and the future of personalized medicine, called "Bring Your Genes to Cal." The program gives the new class of freshmen students the choice of submitting cheek swab samples to test confidentially for variants of three specific genes. One of them is ALDH2.

"Yeah, we purposefully chose three genes that are not disease-associated," said Mark Schlissel, a Berkeley dean of...