Genetic tests very revealing, forum told

PERSONALISED GENETIC tests that tell people about their risk of diseases stirred up controversy at a forum in Dublin this weekend.

For $400 (€280), consumers could get an individualised read-out of particular variations in their DNA, Dr Brian Naughton, from private California-based company 23andMe, told The Secret of Life: Genetics in the 21st Centurypublic symposium on Saturday.

Clients could discover more about their ancestry and find out their DNA-based risks of developing conditions like deep-vein thromboses, heart problems and diabetes, the Trinity graduate explained.

One genetic variation conferred resistance against the main form of HIV, while another point in the DNA sequence could tell whether you were at elevated risk of developing Parkinson's disease, said Dr Naughton.

"I would hope that most people who get information like you are at 1.x times increased risk for this disease would ignore it and go on to the next disease, and if something sticks out then you should go to your doctor about that," he said.

"We don't discriminate between things you can or can't do something about. Even for diseases that are fatal, you can sort out your long-term care and arrange your life accordingly."

One audience member questioned the approach of giving people simplistic information about specific health risks: "I'd be very cautious because if you are telling someone you are not at risk of HIV, that could encourage risky behaviour," she said.

Other attendees asked how having such information might affect insurance premiums or job security.

Prof David McConnell, Trinity's professor of genetics, noted the alarm in the audience and said it was a sensitive and important time for genetic testing, which was a "glimpse of the future".

"On the one hand, it can be of enormous benefit while, on the other, unless it is carefully handled, it can probably cause great distress and lead to inaccurate information being provided," he said.

Prof McConnell advocated that genetic information should be private, and people should be entitled not to disclose it when seeking insurance.

Dr Michael Morgan, of Genome Canada, rounded off the discussion by highlighting the importance of lifestyle in many diseases: "Most of these [DNA] associations are extraordinarily weak. They are based on population risk not individual risk, and we can all do much better for ourselves by not eating too much," he said.