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Has anyone used a home DNA testing service? I was looking at 23andme service. The reviews are pretty good and it's only $100. Could be interesting. What do you experts think? Worthwhile?
Monique said:If you have a 50% increased chance of getting a disease, does that sound scary? What if you knew the disease only has a prevalence of 0.001% in the population, a 50% increase suddenly sounds a lot less pressing right?
I'm not sure if I'm following you there, but most of the tests use numbers that are not easy to interpret by the person receiving the results.SW VandeCarr said:I agree with Monique based what I know about these tests. However if the test was reliable and it indicated a 50% chance of having a gene for a disease, the relevant probabilities are 50% and the probability of developing the disease, given you have the gene. I realize that Monique was talking about a 50% increase in the risk, which would not necessarily involve a specific gene, but a predisposition due to other risk factors.
Monique said:I'm not sure if I'm following you there, but most of the tests use numbers that are not easy to interpret by the person receiving the results.
Also, often multifactorial diseases such as "cardiovascular disease" are mentioned: because they are most prevalent in populations. The pitfall is determining the risk there is not easy and different companies who provide the test will give different results based on the genes tested.
The gene mutations that are known to cause disease with high penetrance are usually the rare ones, as said: you'll probably know whether they exist in your family or not.
Another pitfall is that these tests often don't look at mutations, but at certain variants that are associated to a disease: the underlying cause is unknown. Whether the variant is predictive depends on your genetic background (e.g. asian or european decent), this is not taken into account in the tests, even further making them unreliable.
A big effort has been underway to gain more insight in the meaning of a person's DNA, I'm sure the future will be more informative. Our department will be implementing a version of genome sequencing for diagnostics soon, an interesting development. I doubt the patients get to take their sequence home though.
I mentioned that for those tests often causative mutations are not taken into account, but variants/markers that are associated to a disease. I often challenge the geneticists to perform functional studies, but that takes times.Pythagorean said:I'm curious... do these tests tell you about expressing or just having?
Ok, but if you know the result of a test then you don't know whether you will get the disease or not (except for Mendelian diseases with 100% penetrance). So it always needs to be correlated to a population prevalence, some people carry risk genes that increase their chance of getting a disease. If the tests tells you that you have a variant that increases your risk of colon cancer, I think you would want to know what that risk then is.SW VandeCarr said:I was only saying if having specific gene was associated with a known risk for a disease, then the presence or absence of that gene is the relevant factor, not the prevalence of the gene or disease in the population.
Monique said:Ok, but if you know the result of a test then you don't know whether you will get the disease or not (except for Mendelian diseases with 100% penetrance).
Greg Bernhardt said:Has anyone used a home DNA testing service? I was looking at 23andme service. The reviews are pretty good and it's only $100. Could be interesting. What do you experts think? Worthwhile?
Greg Bernhardt said:Thanks all! Bob 23andme also does the ancestor stats too. Apparently good enough to find up to 5th cousins
Greg Bernhardt said:Thanks all! Bob 23andme also does the ancestor stats too. Apparently good enough to find up to 5th cousins
Greg Bernhardt said:23andme also does the ancestor stats too. Apparently good enough to find up to 5th cousins
Borek said:Be ready for some surprises.
The more DNA testing, the more divorces.
I was doing genetic testing a few years ago in the States, of families volunteering to participate in a scientific study. I sometimes ran into families where it was clear that the child must've been conceived by another man than the listed father. I always wondered whether any of the parents knew that was the caseBorek said:Be ready for some surprises.
The more DNA testing, the more divorces.
Please note we don't provide diagnoses hereGreg Bernhardt said:I ended up going for it! Just sent in my test tube of spit :) I'll report back in a few weeks with a review!
Google-backed 23andme has been ordered to "immediately discontinue" selling its saliva-collection tests after failing to provide information to back its marketing claims.
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In a public letter the FDA said that 23andme had not supplied this information, despite increasing its marketing campaign and the scope of its tests.
"FDA is concerned about the public health consequences of inaccurate results from the PGS device - the main purpose of compliance with FDA's regulatory requirements is to ensure that the tests work," said Alberto Gutierrez, director of the FDA's centre for devices and radiological health, in a letter to the company.
"Patients relying on such tests may begin to self-manage their treatment through dose changes or even abandon certain therapies depending on the outcome of the assessment," he added.
23and me has a good read on a sidebar about not stopping meds because of anything found in the genetic tests.But over the last few years, Richard noticed he was experiencing muscle problems. His doctor didn’t seem too worried, so at first Richard didn’t push it.
But all that changed when Richard took the 23andMe test last summer. His results at once surprised him and made sense. According to his 23andMe report he was at risk for developing muscle myopathy due to the use of statins.
Dear 23andMe Customers,
I wanted to reach out to you about the FDA letter that was sent to 23andMe last Friday.
It is absolutely critical that our consumers get high quality genetic data that they can trust. We have worked extensively with our lab partner to make sure that the results we return are accurate. We stand behind the data that we return to customers - but we recognize that the FDA needs to be convinced of the quality of our data as well.
23andMe has been working with the FDA to navigate the correct regulatory path for direct-to-consumer genetic tests. This is new territory, not just for 23andMe, but for the FDA as well. The FDA is an important partner for 23andMe and we will be working hard to move forward with them.
I apologize for the limited response to the questions many of you have raised regarding the letter and its implications for the service. We don't have the answers to all of those questions yet, but as we learn more we will update you.
I am committed to providing each of you with a trusted consumer product rooted in high quality data that adheres to the best scientific standards. All of us at 23andMe believe that genetic information can lead to healthier lives.
Thank you for your loyalty to 23andMe. Please refer to our 23andMe blog for updates on this process.
Anne Wojcicki
Co-founder and CEO, 23andMe
A home DNA test kit is a collection of materials and instructions that allow individuals to collect and submit a sample of their DNA for analysis without having to visit a medical facility or laboratory. These kits typically include a swab or tube for collecting a saliva or cheek cell sample, as well as packaging and instructions for sending the sample to a laboratory for analysis.
The accuracy of home DNA test kits can vary depending on the company and type of test being performed. In general, these kits can provide accurate results for basic genetic information, such as ancestry and basic health traits. However, they may not be as accurate as tests performed in a medical setting for more complex genetic conditions or diseases.
Home DNA test kits can be reliable for providing basic genetic information, but they may not be as reliable as tests performed in a medical setting for more complex conditions. It is important to research the company and read reviews before purchasing a home DNA test kit to ensure its reliability.
The main benefit of using a home DNA test kit is convenience. These kits can be easily ordered online and completed in the comfort of your own home. They can also provide basic genetic information, such as ancestry and health traits, without the need for a doctor's visit or expensive medical tests.
The worth of a home DNA test kit can vary depending on the individual's personal preferences and goals. Some may find the convenience and basic genetic information provided by these kits to be worth the cost. However, others may prefer more comprehensive and accurate testing performed in a medical setting. It is important to research and consider the potential benefits and limitations before deciding if a home DNA test kit is worth the cost for you.