Genomics Companies Reveal The Mysteries Of Inheritance

By Enid Hinton

The human genetic structure can now be sequenced and mapped in its entirety, a significant advance in science and human understanding. The cost of an analysis has plummeted during the past two decades, and it is now possible to request this information online. The details provided reveal the presence of specific characteristics, as well as inherited disease potential. Genomics companies are not only informative, but also controversial.

A product of the Human Genome Project that was developed during the 1980s, the companies are a commercial outgrowth of those studies. During that period there was a stiff scientific competition to become the first to create a complete map, a race that spurred enormous advances in knowledge. In the world today, a simple DNA test gives individuals unprecedented insight into their own inherited make-up.

A personal analysis cannot answer every question sparked by the information contained in those genes, but does provide more genetic information than has ever been available previously. For many people, that analysis provides a window into their own personality and physical health, and creates greater understanding of the influences that inheritance exerts. While useful, this information may have unintended consequences.

The most obvious benefits are in the medical field. Most people have a little knowledge regarding the physical problems experienced by parents or grandparents, and knowing whether or not those weaknesses were passed on can make prediction and treatment of certain illnesses more effective. Over time, the accumulated results can be compiled in a database, giving both doctors and patients greater insight.

Although an analysis is not a diagnosis, it still can change lives. When the potential for development of a serious health problem is revealed, there is an increased opportunity for people to take proactive steps in managing personal well-being. Highlighting that potential gives doctors better insight into the most effective medications, allows more accurately targeted screening, and personalizes health care to a greater extent.

Additional benefits not related directly to medicine are primarily social, allowing individuals with specific genetic issues to contact others who share the same experiences. This provides a wider basis of support for those trying to cope with inherited characteristics and the effects they have on daily living. The primary concern of many scientists is that a genetic analysis will be used to unfairly and incorrectly stigmatize individuals.

As the technology continues to improve, personal sequencing has also created privacy issues. Protecting genetic databases from scrutiny is the ideal solution, but may not be practical in reality. Forensic analysis today provides a great deal of data simply from the residue left behind from a simple touch. It not only reveals individual race, physical characteristics, and disease potential, but can implicate people in crime.

The most important challenge facing genetic information providers is to present critical data without engendering discrimination based only on genetic potential rather than actual behavior. Laws already exist that prevent future employers from discriminatory hiring practices based on genes. Although the health advantages these companies provide are far-reaching, protecting people from societal abuses is equally important.

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