Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Genetic profiteering

Nature Biotechnology volume 24, pages 888–890 (2006)Cite this article

Consumers can pay a couple of hundred dollars to find out their ancestry or a couple of thousand dollars to find out their cancer risk. Not everyone agrees that this is a good idea.

Backers of this endeavor say people have a right to this information—the genetic autonomy argument—whereas critics see it as potentially dangerous and exploitative. The field has the support of some scientists, who can be found on scientific advisory boards (SABs) of testing companies. Harvard's George Church, who sits on San Francisco–based DNA Direct's SAB, feels scientists need to stay in touch with these practitioners. “This field in poised to take advantage of the rapid cost changes on DNA sequencing and genotyping and cumulating genetics interpretation software, so it will need advice from many voices,” he says.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

$32.00

Buy

All prices are NET prices.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Features Editor for Nature Biotechnology,

    Laura De Francesco

Authors
  1. Laura De Francesco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Supplementary information

Related links

Related links

Related links in Nature Research

Unchecked by government, genetic tests sell hope and hype

Genetic testing for cancer susceptibility: the promise and the pitfalls

Test your own DNA

Web links

Gene Watch UK

Genetics and Public Policy Center

Genetic Alliance

American College of Medical Genetics

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

De Francesco, L. Genetic profiteering. Nat Biotechnol 24, 888–890 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0806-888

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0806-888

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing