Jo Best has written an excellent article for TechRepublic on how we managed to reduce the cost of DNA sequencing from $100 million in 2001 to under $10,000 now and how companies like 23andMe can offer tests that provide information on a range of traits for $99. Well worth reading, even if you skip the more technical bits, particularly given the related societal changes that are now appearing based on this technology. Gattaca anyone? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gattaca
"Mapping the human genome was one of humanity's greatest scientific breakthroughs. Now, the cloud and supercomputing are taking it to new heights, bringing breathtaking and disturbing possibilities."
techrepublic.com/article/wh...
If you have read submissions to this community regarding the difficulty of interpreting CLL cytogenetic diagnostic testing to determine your likely prognosis, you'll be aware of the complexity of just our CLL cells. So it will come as no surprise that the lack of standards of interpretation for genetic testing are causing officials concern. Because the tested DNA comes from lots of your cells that can differ slightly in their genetic markers, these tests are based on a cut-off percentage as to whether you are positive or negative for a particular marker. Some laboratories might provide greater detail on how frequently that marker is expressed, e.g. dim, average, bright, but the correlation of the presence of a given marker to your risk of developing a specific illness can be influenced by other markers that may or may not be tested by that particular company. There may be other, yet to be discovered markers that can change the result, or indeed differences in your environment that can influence progression towards some particular illness.
Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council releases guidelines after concerns online genetic tests may not meet quality standards:
abc.net.au/news/2014-12-09/...
Mail-in Genetic Testing Unreliable, Misleading (USA ABC News)
abcnews.go.com/Health/Welln...
Prenatal Tests Have High Failure Rate, Triggering Abortions (USA NBC News)
nbcnews.com/health/womens-h...
Neil
Photo: All swans were once thought to be white...