Sunday, April 23, 2017

23andMe Sell Genetic Test


For the first time in United States the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows the company 23andMe to sell genetic test directly to the public. The Ancestry and Health test is sold for $199 and will allow the customer to know which mutation increases their risk for certain diseases. The test is made simple for the customer, they just spit into a tube and mail it away. 23andMe will extract the DNA from saliva cells and find genetic markers using a special chip for genotyping. The customers will receive the results within 6-8 weeks with 10 common diseases and the information educating them. Some disease indicators tested are celiac disease, Gaucher disease type 1 and factor XI deficiency.
I think this can reduce the costs of health care because you no longer have to see your primary doctor which in turn will refer you to genetic doctor. It’s a time and money saving approach. Although as convenient as it seems it might cause some people to get upset or overreact. They might think that just because the have a genetic indicator they WILL have the disease.   

3 comments:

  1. This definitely has it's benefits and it's fault I completely agree that it could be cost efficient compared to being recommended to a specialist or geneticist but at the same time it could cause a lot of chaos because there is no doctor that comes along with it telling you that you will not necessarily be affected by the disease. I think it would be extremely beneficial for those people who have no idea about their genetic history either because they are not in contact with any ancestors or simply do not have any known family. It provides easy access to important health information.

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  2. While it seems too good to be true, I think its a good idea to have the test done. It doesn't guarantee anything, but knowing that you are at risk of certain diseases means you can start early taking steps to delay or avoid the problem.

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  3. Very interesting in light of what was discussed in class. This technology is making a market out of peoples fear of disease. Although proper prevention based on genetic evidence could be a good thing for some.

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