CGS-authored
When UC Berkeley officials came up with the idea of asking all new students to volunteer a DNA swab as part of an unusual fall orientation program, they expected to stimulate discussion. They weren't quite prepared for how much.
The plan drew quick criticism from privacy watchdogs and ethicists, who said the DNA project, linked to seminars about personalized medicine, would be an unprecedented and troubling use of genetics testing by an American university. Several urged the campus to cancel or modify the project.
The university still plans to send the swabs this summer to 5,500 incoming freshmen and transfer students, asking them to return them with cells from inside their mouths. Campus officials estimated that about 1,000 students would participate and said no one would be penalized for refusing.
The samples will be analyzed for gene variations that affect people's reactions to three dietary substances: lactose, folic acid and alcohol. Only the participants will be able to learn about their own results, the project promises. Then the samples will be destroyed.
Dubbed "Bring Your Genes to Cal," the program...