11 replies to this topic

[Salade]

My English is very bad at the moment, so I'll be copying the Wikipedia articles on this very interesting topic.

 

Personal genomics is the branch of genomics concerned with the sequencing, analysis and interpretation of the genome of an individual. The genotyping stage employs different techniques, including single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis chips (typically 0.02% of the genome), or partial or full genome sequencing. Once the genotypes are known, the individual's variations can be compared with the published literature to determine likelihood of trait expression, ancestry inference and disease risk.

 

23andMe is a privately held personal genomics and biotechnology company based in Mountain View, California. The company is named for the 23 pairs of chromosomes in a normal human cell.^[1] Its saliva-based direct-to-consumer genetic testing business was named Invention of the Year by Time magazine in 2008.^[2]

 

 

In 2013 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered 23andMe to discontinue marketing its personal genome service (PGS), as the company had not obtained the legally required regulatory approval. That resulted in concerns about the potential consequences of customers receiving inaccurate health results.^[3] The company continued to sell a personal genome test without health-related results in the United States until October 21, 2015, when it announced that it would be including a revised health component with FDA approval.^[4][5] 23andMe has been selling a product with both ancestry and health-related components in Canada since October 2014,^[6][7][8] and in the United Kingdom since December 2014.^[9]

 

 

The test costs 149$ atm. I'm honestly thinking about buying it because I'm generally interested in how bodies work and all the processes and how our genes influence said processes. Even more so my own body. Plus I'd be kiiind of interested in having a rough idea about where my ancestors came from. I wonder if I'm truly 100% white bread European. Luckily/sadly in my country I'd only get the raw data and no prognosis about health risks and all that jazz. But there are websites where you can upload your raw genome data and it interpretates it for you. Of course there is the risk of data saving and all that...

 

Sooo, my questions to you:

 

Have you heard of this?

Would you get your genome sequenced, analyzed etc.?

Would you check for possible future diseases? 

[DonValentino]

I've definitely thought about it, and will probably do it at some point. Only real concern is a private company having my DNA info with the potential to sell it in the future. 

[KaibaSama]

I would love to do this, and probably will once I actually have money to spend on these kind of things. I have a closed adoption, so I have no family history to give doctors when I visit (they always ask). This also means I have no idea if any diseases or such run in my family that I could be at risk for. So yes, I'd be checking for future diseases. 

[Junjie]

It definitely sounds interesting, and I am definitely very interested in the myraid things carried down in one's genetics, e.g. conditions, but also 'gifts' (proclivities) from past generations and all.

 

That said, this isn't exactly a priority, and not just because I don't live anywhere near the States. Maaybe I will get it done eventually, but I can also see how I might never eventually spend the time and money on it either.

[Coops]

@Jess

 

I love this stuff. I want to do it but I don't want to dish out the money lol. I may do it when I get a job though. 

[Kaddict]

I think this is cool, I just think it isn't as useful and reliable as it is proclaimed to be. I think 20 years from now, this type of stuff is gonna change the way we practice medicine; helping us be able to tailor very specific preventative measures to individuals for those at risk for certain diseases. So, I personally wouldn't pay for one now, but in the near future I absolutely would.


The concerns are what donVal said, and the possibility of insurances using this to not cover people or certain treatments.

[GhostMommy]

I had a groupon for $49.  Results were boring. I did find out I'm 8 percent viking.

Funny thing,  there was a researcher talking about this on the radio on the drive back from the "negotiation",  a geneticist explaining why results were pretty worthless for actually determining if you might have a disease or not.  Mainly he was talking about the societal argument about if there are genes for sexual orientation so I might have drifted off some.   He was talking about identical twins where one is straight and one not.   I think, that would make a great sitcom.

Edited by NMP, 12 May 2017 - 06:24 PM.

[Salade]

I've definitely thought about it, and will probably do it at some point. Only real concern is a private company having my DNA info with the potential to sell it in the future. 

Yeah, that's the main drawback for me. If they sold it to insurance firms, oh boy...

 

I would love to do this, and probably will once I actually have money to spend on these kind of things. I have a closed adoption, so I have no family history to give doctors when I visit (they always ask). This also means I have no idea if any diseases or such run in my family that I could be at risk for. So yes, I'd be checking for future diseases. 

I've read a few articles about adoptees who did this for the exact reasons you stated. Some even found some relatives who'd also uploaded their data to the database. And of course, the risk of unknown health factors is very useful information. Shame that the test is still fairly expensive, although a few years back it was 1000$ or something... Maybe/hopefully the price will drop even further.

 

It definitely sounds interesting, and I am definitely very interested in the myraid things carried down in one's genetics, e.g. conditions, but also 'gifts' (proclivities) from past generations and all.

 

That said, this isn't exactly a priority, and not just because I don't live anywhere near the States. Maaybe I will get it done eventually, but I can also see how I might never eventually spend the time and money on it either.

I think that the information about gifts and traits is all very washed down, simply because you have just so many ancestors. I thought I'd read somewhere that the genetic information of your grandparents is already only a very very very small percentage of your own genome or something. Idk. Genetics and I aren't exactly friends.

 

@Jess

 

I love this stuff. I want to do it but I don't want to dish out the money lol. I may do it when I get a job though. 

Yes, it's still way too expensive to do it unless you have a good reason or an abundance of spending money... 

 

I think this is cool, I just think it isn't as useful and reliable as it is proclaimed to be. I think 20 years from now, this type of stuff is gonna change the way we practice medicine; helping us be able to tailor very specific preventative measures to individuals for those at risk for certain diseases. So, I personally wouldn't pay for one now, but in the near future I absolutely would.


The concerns are what donVal said, and the possibility of insurances using this to not cover people or certain treatments.

You mean like preventing the risk of Alzheimer's and other diseases? Idk if you can do anything to diminish the risk percentage of developing a disease, I think that would delve into gene-altering territory... Idk.

 

I had a groupon for $49.  Results were boring. I did find out I'm 8 percent viking.

Funny thing,  there was a researcher talking about this on the radio on the drive back from the "negotiation",  a geneticist explaining why results were pretty worthless for actually determining if you might have a disease or not.  Mainly he was talking about the societal argument about if there are genes for sexual orientation so I might have drifted off some.   He was talking about identical twins where one is straight and one not.   I think, that would make a great sitcom.

What a steal! Was it by 23andme or some other company? But hey, vikings are super cool... Was he talking about diseases or sexual orientations? Because those are two entirely different things lol. 

[Kaddict]

You mean like preventing the risk of Alzheimer's and other diseases? Idk if you can do anything to diminish the risk percentage of developing a disease, I think that would delve into gene-altering territory... Idk.

Nah, It would be more medication and lifestyle driven preventive therapy at first. To keep it simple, if someone has genes that put them at extra risk for diabetes, we could start screening younger, encourage them to diet and exercise in youth and throughout and then consider starting metformin at a younger age. Granted, we don't need genomics now to know who will get DM2... just an example tho

[GhostMommy]

It was NPR, they wander all over the place.  Apparently there is some genetic connection to sexual orientation,  there is some genetic connection to certain disease.  The theme was genetics.  

[NapisaurusRex]

I did this for a fertility study earlier this year. The raw data is fascinating af and I would LOVE for it to be part of routine healthcare. The other stuff was kinda boring tbh, but I already knew I was pretty white and not a carrier for anything crazy. I don't worry about it being sold to insurance companies. I next to never have insurance and the way things are going, it looks like I never will. Also, blood testing and stuff gets done during every birth, so they already have all the info on me they'd ever need.