The Up and Coming Future of Genetic Testing

From the discovery of penicillin to the hypothesized double-helix DNA model, medical science has made significant advances in the past century that has extended the average life span of the human being and saved countless lives. Cancerous tumors can be caught by the click of a button in their early stages, premature babies can live to be healthy, normal children, and sterile husbands can go through procedures to allow their wives to have children. Now in the 21^st century, research is being done to create tests and procedures that will dig deep into human DNA to reveal the probabilities individuals have to contracting certain diseases and even personality traits. Paired with ever-advancing modern technology, the genetics branch of medical science is making progress and will soon offer a revolutionary kind of procedure—one that will not only predict the predispositions of an individual’s body, but one that will also change the entire field of genetics and change the way how humans are able to live.

            On the 21^st of May 2008, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was enacted under the Bush Administration. Geneticists around the country came together to push for the passing of this legislation to protect citizens from discrimination based on what their genetic information indicates. The act, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute, basically protects individuals “from discrimination in both health insurance and employment.”

Now, the question is, what can one’s genome, or the entire DNA in an organism including its genes, reveal about the human body other than simply providing original finger prints and indicating gender? According to Sam Rhine, genetics professor at Indiana University and speaker of Genetic Update Conferences, “the number and placement of polymorphism variants in the 3,000,000 DNA nucleotides” can predict whether an individual has a high chance for prostate cancer or is likely to have anger management issues.  

The name of this revolutionary project is the Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). These GWAS tests utilize Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) technology in the form of a two different glass chips. One, the DNA chip, probes for fragments and the presence of variants on an individual’s DNA. The other chip, the ‘Gene’ chip, contains 1.8 million genetic markers that will read an individual’s genes.  These chips have the ability to give percentage probabilities on how likely an individual is likely to succumb to depression, contract breast cancer, or if they will be optimistic individuals.

However, critics of the GWAS project and GINA argue that though geneticists may only have good intentions, the ethics surrounding these efforts are not to be ignored. Questions are being raised about who should have access to genetic testing results, how these tests should be evaluated for reliability and accuracy, or how the public should be educated in making decisions regarding these genetic tests. Many individuals also simply want to live life without the thought of percentages and probabilities of contracting Alzheimer’s disease or hypertension looming over their minds.

            Upon the completion and perfection of the GWAS project, researchers and doctors will soon be able to use the projects’ results to help treat patients as well as help patients to take steps towards preventing any of their body’s predispositions. These microchips hold the ability to change the way patients are treated. While critics may question the usefulness and validity of these tests, it is indisputable that more and more diseases may be prevented even before early symptoms and parents may be able to find out the personality of their unborn baby. Thanks to 21^st century technology, all these goals may be made possible within the next five years and will forever change the field of genetics and the way humans will be medically treated.

 Works Cited

Human Genome Project Information. U.S. Department of Energy Genome Programs. Web.

Mar. 2013

National Human Genome Research Institute. National Institutes of Health. Web. Mar. 2013

Rhine, Sam. “Genetics Update Conference.” Walter Payton College Preparatory School.

Chicago, IL. 28 February 2013.