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Think twice before you act on the recommendations of a genetic test.
That's the warning from genetic-industry watchdogs, who note that there's no independent oversight of the fast-growing DNA testing industry. As a result, advice given by these tests -- for instance, on what drugs might be beneficial to you based on your genetic profile -- does not necessarily have a sound scientific basis.
"Testing has a place in this society -- but oversight needs to catch up so that the public doesn't get misinformed," said Sara Katsanis, an analyst at the Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University.
In an article published today in Science, Katsanis and her colleagues describe a burgeoning industry flying under the regulatory radar, sending customers down paths blazed as much by marketing as science. More than 1,000 genetic tests are now available, many promising to help people pick drugs and dosages. In a few cases, as with the blood-thinning drug Coumadin and certain breast cancer treatments, the tests have proved useful. But experts say these are the exception rather than the rule...
That's the warning from genetic-industry watchdogs, who note that there's no independent oversight of the fast-growing DNA testing industry. As a result, advice given by these tests -- for instance, on what drugs might be beneficial to you based on your genetic profile -- does not necessarily have a sound scientific basis.
"Testing has a place in this society -- but oversight needs to catch up so that the public doesn't get misinformed," said Sara Katsanis, an analyst at the Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University.
In an article published today in Science, Katsanis and her colleagues describe a burgeoning industry flying under the regulatory radar, sending customers down paths blazed as much by marketing as science. More than 1,000 genetic tests are now available, many promising to help people pick drugs and dosages. In a few cases, as with the blood-thinning drug Coumadin and certain breast cancer treatments, the tests have proved useful. But experts say these are the exception rather than the rule...