This morning I placed an order for a personal genome service from a California-based personal genetics company, 23andme.
The decision to buy the kit and start learning about my genetic destiny was prompted by several things.
An article appeared on my news feed as I was eating breakfast, from the BBC News website titled Controversial DNA test comes to UK.
It’s ‘controversial’ because in the US, where the company is based, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently banned 23andme from marketing its service to consumers, claiming they had failed to provide enough information to support the claims it made about results offered from the tests.
It has however been approved by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with the caveat that no DNA test is 100% reliable and you should speak to your healthcare professional if you have questions or concerns about the test results.
Another reason for placing the order was an interview I carried out when making my documentary about retirement, with Jennifer Rusted, Professor of Experimental Psychology at University of Sussex.
Jenny talked during her interview about the “apolipoprotein E” gene, also known as APOE. This gene provides instructions for making a protein which combines with fats (lipids) in the body to form molecules called lipoproteins.
Changes in the APOE gene are associated with an increased risk for developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The APOE e4 allele may also be associated with an earlier onset of memory loss and other symptoms.
This isn’t the only thing I’m looking for in the results from my 23andme test. The test looks for over 100 inherited conditions, genetic risk factors and traits, as well as providing information on prescription medication responses.
The test should also provide some interesting information about my genetic ancestry; this includes what percentage of my genome came from Neanderthals – no comment!
Genetic testing like this is still very new and, when the test results are made available in 3-4 weeks time, I’m looking forward to delving into the information and learning a lot more about the various elements of the test results.
I think the service from 23andme and others is likely to become more popular in the future as individuals want to take control of their genetic destiny, making better lifestyle choices and monitoring health appropriately.
There are certainly concerns about privacy and confidentiality, as having your DNA floating around on the web isn’t a particularly appealing thought. And of course any material facts discovered during the process will need to be disclosed to insurers in the future.
But for me personally, the benefits of satisfying my curiosity and desire to better understand my genetic destiny outweighs concerns about the limitations of the test, privacy of results or potential impact on future insurance applications.
Depending on what I discover when the test results are in, I might or might not share some of the findings here!
