Aggregated News
ARE we witnessing the beginning of the end of "personal genomics"? After a bruising hearing in the US Congress last week, and with the Food and Drug Administration flexing its regulatory muscles, that is what some commentators predict.
"There's no question that the sheer scale and ferocity of this combined inquisition from the FDA and Congress will forever change the face of the personal genomics landscape," wrote Daniel MacArthur in his Genetic Future blog, predicting "excessive, innovation-crushing regulation".
But this doesn't have to be the end of the industry. If it embraces sensible regulation, then it has the chance to shift personal genomics from a minority recreational pursuit to the heart of clinical medicine. We all stand to benefit from such a shift, by being prescribed drugs that work better for our particular genetic make-up, for example.
The star turn at last week's congressional hearing was a report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) in which investigators recounted their experience of submitting samples for DNA testing to the four leading personal genomics companies - 23andMe, DeCode Genetics, Navigenics and...
"There's no question that the sheer scale and ferocity of this combined inquisition from the FDA and Congress will forever change the face of the personal genomics landscape," wrote Daniel MacArthur in his Genetic Future blog, predicting "excessive, innovation-crushing regulation".
But this doesn't have to be the end of the industry. If it embraces sensible regulation, then it has the chance to shift personal genomics from a minority recreational pursuit to the heart of clinical medicine. We all stand to benefit from such a shift, by being prescribed drugs that work better for our particular genetic make-up, for example.
The star turn at last week's congressional hearing was a report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) in which investigators recounted their experience of submitting samples for DNA testing to the four leading personal genomics companies - 23andMe, DeCode Genetics, Navigenics and...