Genetic tests in the destination?

2010/09/12 Aulestiarte Lete, Izaro - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa

• Genetika
• Osasuna

Analysis can be done by taking a sample that can contain own cells. For example, the observed companies ask a little bit of saliva to their customers.

Maggie Bartlett/NHGRI

Currently, by means of a blood test, a certain salivation, or the taking of any other sample that may contain the cell itself, it can be known beforehand if a person has a genetic tendency throughout his or her life, such as prostate cancer, diabetes, or other diseases.

Some companies make these analyses available directly to the general public. The consumer can request the test through the Internet, for example, send a sample of saliva by mail and in a few days receive the results.

However, the GAO observation organization of the US Congress. has kept secret the performance of certain companies and has resurfaced the debate on this type of evidence. They say that “the results of the analyses have been banal in 68% of the cases.”

The DNA itself, different predictions

At present, anyone can know beforehand if they have a genetic tendency to suffer a disease throughout their life.

Jane Ades/NHGRI

Five volunteers participated in the study. Two DNA samples were sent to four companies and predictions on the risk of 15 diseases were requested. Four of them collected contradictory results with their true medical characteristics and family history. The price of the tests ranged between 300 and 1,000 dollars.

“If the tests are reliable, the DNA itself should provide the same predictions,” says one BOG member. In the study, however, a company indicated that the same man the trend was very low, another indicated that it was of medium type, and a third company alerted of the trend. According to experts, each company chooses different markers for performing genetic tests, hence the possible disagreement, since the result will depend on the effects of the markers.

On the other hand, researchers have also reported calls made to 15 companies that present themselves as clients. In ten cases “examples of misleading advertising” have been detected. Some companies say, for example, that they can make “personalized additives” to cure certain diseases. In another case, a customer was told to be secretly sent their partner’s saliva, “this action that violates one’s privacy is illegal in 33 states.”

Genetic analysis can be an important tool for prevention, but doubts usually arise mainly from the ethical and legal point of view. Genetic experts are concerned about whether the work of these companies is really professional and their relationship with clients is satisfactory, as it is also essential to know how to properly interpret the results.

Genetic experts are concerned about the good relationship of these companies with individual clients, since it is essential to know how to interpret the results correctly.

For example, the predisposition to having a disease in the genes does not mean that it will develop. Tests study some genes related to some diseases, but there are interactions between many genes and many factors that are outside the genes influence our body.

According to experts, the recent GAO research in the US has once again highlighted the need to improve the evaluation and control of DNA tests. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already announced its intention to regulate the sector more demanding.

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