Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing's Red Herring: “Genetic Ancestry” and Personalized Medicine

Frontiers in Medicine

article

Mwenza Blell¹  M. A. Hunter² 

[1] Ethics and Life Sciences Research Centre, School of Geography, Newcastle University, United Kingdom;Department of Philosophy, Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science (CPNSS), The London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom;Philosophy Department, University of California, United States

关键词: genetic testing;    ethnicity;    race;    personalized medicine;    ethics;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmed.2019.00048

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The growth in the direct-to-consumer genetic testing industry poses a number of challenges for healthcare practice, among a number of other areas of concern. Several companies providing this service send their customers reports including information variously referred to as genetic ethnicity, genetic heritage, biogeographic ancestry, and genetic ancestry. In this article, we argue that such information should not be used in healthcare consultations or to assess health risks. Far from representing a move toward personalized medicine, use of this information poses risks both to patients as individuals and to racialized ethnic groups because of the way it misrepresents human genetic diversity.

【 授权许可】

CC BY