Direct to Consumer Genetic Tests.

With the new technology provided to us by the modern age many people have started looking back and wondering “Where did I come from”. Direct to Consumer genetic tests fill this hole, allowing people to fully understand where they came from and develop a sense of pride in their ancestry. In some cases, it may even connect you with a relative you may not have known you had.

More than that, this new type of testing allows individuals to have a guess on certain genetic diseases they may be likely to develop, certain ailments they may be susceptible too. This has opened a new avenue for people to learn about themselves, and in many cases, a new thing to stress over in their day to day lives.

How does it work?

Genetic testing works through a couple simple pathways. First and most prevalent is through maternal lineage. This tracing can be done through the mitochondrial DNA, although a new provocative study suggests this may not always be the case, and that the father can contribute too.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00093-1#:~:text=14%20January%202019-,Mitochondrial%20DNA%20can%20be%20inherited%20from%20fathers%2C%20not%20just%20mothers,that%20fathers%20also%20occasionally%20contribute.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/dads-mitochondrial-dna/

The next type is to follow the Y chromosome and trace that back. This is slightly more limited since only males have the Y chromosome, the Y chromosome is also considerably shorter then any other of the 46 chromosomes.

However, the greatest determining factor for ancestry lineage is the use of the other 22 non-sex chromosomes. https://www.livescience.com/62690-how-dna-ancestry-23andme-tests-work.html

These are not always certain though. How the actual matching occurs is through pure pattern recognition of a pre-determined algorithm. They will have a sample size of 8,000 individuals who all claim to be of only one ethnicity. They will then go through with the algorithm of the individuals’ genome and look for sequences that are matching. From then on, the next person who has a 30% match to that genome is considered to be 30% of that ethnicity. This can become very tedious, and also has some tremendous pitfalls. For example, their data is only as good as their sample size. So the less of a certain ethnicity is screening and being tested, the less likely they are to find patterns within the genome.

Now, how does the prediction of genetic diseases work?

This works through the use of SNPs. These are the most common type of genetic variation between individuals, scientists have been able to find over 600 million different distinct SNPs. These work as biological markers to mark certain areas of the genome for coding for an individual gene. https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/dtcgenetictesting/directtoconsumer/

Again, this is not a precise science, it is the use of association via an algorithm. They will test certain individuals that have certain detriments, for example a family history of heart disease, find a SNP that is “linked” to, not causing, the disease. After this everyone with that SNP is then predisposed to that type of heart diseases. This can be very inaccurate, because you can develop heart disease without being predisposed to it, you can also develop alcoholism without any family history of it.

Business practice and application to the real world.

In our book, Beyond Bioethics, there is a chapter about the use of genetic testing done on all incoming freshmen at university of California Berkley. This was only a proposed work, but what does it imply? The University claimed that they would only inform the students of their alcohol tolerance, milk intolerance, and need for folic acid intake. Would you personally submit to such a study?

The business practices of these organizations have also come under fire. Under multiple times they have been known to share information with third party buyers, making money off of your personal information without you making any money or gaining anything out of the experience. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/16/5-biggest-risks-of-sharing-dna-with-consumer-genetic-testing-companies.html

This can also lead to a enforcement by the police to have access to this information. The Golden state killer was caught with the help of DNA from a genealogy company, and while murderers are bad, could it be wrong to allow the federal government access to this database at all times?

 

Final Questions or thoughts?

Would you get a direct-to-consumer genetic test?

Do you think its poor business practice to have less information about ethnic minorities on the books? How should a genetic testing company makeup for this?

Should we understand our own genome, or should we choose to live without it’s knowledge?

Should you get genetic testing, who would you trust more to have it, The US government, or the private businesses?