Direct-to-consumer genetic testing just not ready for prime time

Critics of the FDA’s move to require that 23andMe produce evidence that the health claims it makes about its DTC gene tests are warranted generally assume the technology works. But in practice, it doesn’t. Not reliably enough.

There have now been at least four experiments that involved having the same DNA analyzed by different companies, and in every case significant anomalies appeared.

Given the state of the science — and perhaps the state of reality — even full-genome analysis may not be definitive, since the risks of most common diseases are caused by complex interactions of genes, gene regulation, and environment. Certainly, almost everyone needs the assistance of trained professionals to understand the results of comprehensive genetic tests, let alone to make significant decisions based on them.

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Read the full, original story: Hit-and-Miss Genetic Testing

• Why 23andMe has the FDA worried: It wrongly told me I might die young, Quartz
• I Had My DNA Picture Taken, With Varying Results, New York Times
• 23andMe: A Fumbling Gene in its Corporate Data?, Forbes