Genetic testing of critically ill adults can yield surprises—and reveal disparities in treatment of Black patients
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 problems. Efforts are underway to expand newborn screening with direct testing for genetic mutations. In adults, however, widespread genetic testing is relatively uncommon because it’s thought to be less likely to produce diagnoses that affect patients’ care. But a study of genetic testing of adults admitted to intensive care units (ICUs), published this week in The American Journal of Human Genetics, suggests it’s not just newborns who can benefit from this diagnostic strategy.
Nearly one-quarter of the adult patients had genetic diagnoses pertinent to their symptoms in the ICU, the researchers found—and half of those people had not previously been aware of these genetic disorders. The team also found Black patients were far less likely than white patients to receive these personalized diagnoses before or during their ICU stay.
The work is “groundbreaking,” says Tara Wenger, a pediatric...
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 Geoffrey A. Fowler, The Washington Post | 07.17.2025
Nearly 2 million people protected their privacy by deleting their DNA from 23andMe after it declared bankruptcy in March. Now it’s back with the same person in charge — and I still don’t trust it.
Nor do the attorneys general...