May 20, 2013
With participation by 23andMe and the three other major companies involved in DNA testing for ancestry, as well as talks from some of the most respected names in the field, it’s no wonder organizers are predicting the June 6th “Family History and DNA” conference in Burbank will sell out. The event, [...]
January 9, 2013
Thank you, Virginia. In a recent article in Slate, Virginia Hughes, who also blogs for National Geographic, nails it, hammering home the point that people are much smarter and tougher than they’re depicted in many news articles about genetic testing. We’ve written before about what feels like fear [...]
October 19, 2012
A common refrain for critics of direct to consumer genetic testing is that the tests could cause unnecessary worry. Those critics believe that for some tests the results shouldn’t go directly to a consumer and instead be delivered by a doctor or genetic counselor. We believe that a person shouldn’t [...]
October 15, 2012
For decades, a patient’s family health history has been a keystone to any wellness plan. A simple record of medical conditions your siblings, your parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents struggled with can help you and your doctor know what to watch for to keep you healthy. Like family health histories, [...]
October 3, 2012
We would like to give a little shout-out to Holly Dunsworth, an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Rhode Island and a blogger, for her thoughtful post “Be Afraid of Fear, Not Personal Genomics.” While there are legitimate topics for debate about genetic testing, some coverage [...]
August 20, 2012
This is a guest post from a 23andMe customer, who took a journey to learn about her ancestry. By Alyssa Gradstein I took the 23andMe DNA test to find out who I was. I was adopted and ethnically mixed. I can’t count the number of times in my 30 years I’ve been asked: “What are you?” It [...]
August 8, 2012
Are you a jetsetter? Long-distance air travel increases a person’s odds of developing a blood clot, a condition known medically as venous thromboembolism (VTE) and dubbed in the media as the “economy-class syndrome”. But choosing coach for your next vacation isn’t the problem per se. Inactivity is [...]
August 6, 2012
Changes in DNA Underlie Cancer Cancer develops when normal cells in the body grow and reproduce uncontrollably because of “mistakes” in the DNA code. DNA (a copy of which is contained in each cell) contains finely tuned instructions for cell growth and production, but as cells copy and pass on this DNA [...]
August 3, 2012
Many expensive clinical trials fail because the therapy causes harmful side effects in some or all participants or the drug isn’t effective across the board. Genetics may explain differences in response, but as of today DNA testing isn’t a standard part of clinical trials. Integrating genetic testing [...]
July 27, 2012
Mutations in the HFE gene cause most forms of hereditary hemochromatosis — a common genetic condition that increases a person’s risk for iron overload and can lead to liver disease, arthritis and heart problems. HFE-related hemochromatosis is recessive, meaning that you must inherit a mutated gene from [...]
