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The Sound of Ideas

The Brave New World of Genetic Testing

Posted Wednesday, October 21, 2009

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Just a few years ago, sequencing the human genome was a three billion dollar project. Today, that information is being sold to consumers for only a few hundred dollars. It gives individuals more knowledge about their risk for diseases, such as cancer or Alzheimer's. But do consumers or even family physicians understand the science enough to make sound decisions from this type of test? And what will others, including insurance companies, do with the information? It raises lots of medical and ethical questions which we'll explore Wednesday morning at 9 as host Dan Moulthrop leads a discussion on the brave new world of direct-to-consumer and clinical genetic testing.

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Health

Guests

Dr. Shawn McCandless, Interim Director for Center for Human Genetics, University Hospitals, Case Medical Center
Michelle McGowan, Assistant Professor of Bioethics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Gretchen Cuda, ideastream® Health & Science Reporter

Additional Information

Listen to Gretchen Cuda's report, Personalized Data On Risk for Disease Now At Bargain Prices.
You can learn more about 23andMe's genome testing here.
The GeneTests Web Site, a publicly funded medical genetics information resource.
Genetics and Public Policy Center
National Society of Genetic Counselors
An agenda for personalized medicine, by Pauline C. Ng, Sarah S. Murray, Samuel Levy and J. Craig Venter, Nature

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Jason 9:37 AM 10/21/09

Will my DNA be used by these companies for commercial purposes?  Also, does anyone know the link to the article in Nature that the panel keeps citing?

marcie 9:57 AM 10/21/09

Hi-Great show
If we assume in the long run these tests are actually useful I wonder, given the onus is on the consumer to purchase their own scan, how this may affect health disparities?

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