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Genetic Testing: There’s More at Stake Than Just Our Ancestry Written By Isabel Engel Designed By Bianca Vama Introduction
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magine sequencing your genome from the comfort of your living room couch. What was once a far-off concept limited to science fiction movies has now become a reality. With the mainstream commercialization of at-home genetic testing, people can better understand their DNA, genetic biomarkers, and ancestral history. Companies like 23andMe market their services as “real science, real data and genetic insights that can help make it easier for you to take action on your health”.1 But beyond flashy branding and consumer appeal, what is really at stake when it comes to at-home genetic testing? It’s time to take a look.
Genetic Counselors (NSGC), genetic counseling is defined as “the process of helping people understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease.”2 At-home genetic testing ranges in type, from Y-chromosome testing (designed to follow male ancestry) to mitochondrial DNA testing (that identifies genetic variations through mitochondrial DNA) to single nucleotide polymorphism testing (used to determine ethnic backgrounds).3 Through human saliva, all at-home genetic tests aim to look at regions of human DNA attributed to specific traits. 23andMe, for example, uses the HumanOmniExpress BeadChip Kit by Illumina as a means of inputting genetic material and scanning for variants.
They describe the genotyping technology and personalized reports as information “based on The Technology of well-established scientific and medical research.”4 Though the technology is relatively straightforward Genetic Testing and offers the general public streamlined access As outlined by The Genetic Counseling to their own genetic information, not all within Definition Task Force of the National Society of the science community are sold on this growing technology. While the technology elucidates genetic
Spring 2022 | PENNSCIENCE JOURNAL 33
