The Dark Side of Personalized Medicine And Sports Genetic Testing
Like it or not, the possibility of money and profit drives science just like it does any other field. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that a few genetic testing companies have created DNA-based kits that purport to be able to predict the athletic capabilities of children and young adults.
The kits developed by Australia-based Genetic Technologies (sold in the US by Atlas Sports Genetics) and CyGene Laboratories of Coral Springs, FL are based on variations or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the alpha actin-3 (ACTN3) gene that encodes a protein involved in actin development of muscle fibers in skeletal muscles. Atlas sells the kit for $169 whereas CyGene’s kit costs $100.
Presumably, kids that possess the appropriate ACTN3 DNA sequences may be athletically more gifted than those who do not. As we scientists know, innate athletic ability is more than likely a multigenic trait and the presence or lack of a single DNA sequence or SNP cannot reliably predict a person’s future athletic potential. However, most parents who already have been sold on the power of personalized medicine do not! Again, it should come as no surprise that parents are buying these kits and testing their children to determine whether or not they ought to sign their kids up for pee wee soccer or T-ball at age 3! Perhaps, even more egregiously, is what may happen to the kids who test “negative” for ACTN? Will they be relegated to the bench (pardon the pun) for the rest of their lives? To wit, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (my alma mater) this week published a commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association to disabuse parents that these tests are predictive of their children’s athletic ability or even worth the money they paid to purchase them!
Like these authors, I believe that the companies that developed the ACTN3 tests are clearly putting profits before science. There is no question that we have entered the “age of personalized medicine.” But, most personalized medicine tests are still not ready for prime time and companies that assert that it is are being deceptive or disingenuous at best. Similar sentiments were echoed by J. Craig Venter in an interview that I conducted with him which is published in this month’s edition of Life Science Leader. Like him or not , without Venter, the so-called age of personalize medicine would have likely been delayed by three to five years or more. Nevertheless, put simply, at its current stage of development, personalized medicine is clearly being oversold to the American public!
There is no question that real personalized medicine will be a reality in the next 5 to 10 years. hat said, we are simply not there yet. The fact that many genetic tests like ACTN3 are not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration suggests that new regulations and over sight for them is desperately needed! Also, new initiatives must be created to improve the US public’s understanding of science—it can no longer be ignored as we continue our push into the age of personalized medicine!
Until next time...
Good Luck and Go Badgers!
Previously,.jpg)
A collaborative research team led by scientists at the candy maker (M&Ms, Snickers, Milky Way) Mars, the U.S. .jpg)
National DNA Day is a unique day when students, teachers and the public can learn more about genetics and genomics! The day commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003, and the discovery of DNA's double helix..jpg)
The 
Over the past two years, I have been 
Advances made in 
that it has mapped the entire genetic code for the giant panda using DNA sequencing and analysis equipment from San Diego-based Illumina. The project began in .jpg)
In his book, “Free: The Future of a Radical Price” Chris Anderson, editor of Wired Magazine, asserts that the cost of DNA sequencing falls 50% each year. To that end, in February, a company called 
The long sought after cow genome has been sequenced. Heralded as a milestone in animal genetics, unraveling the cow genome will provide scientists with “tantalizing clues to explain the essence of bovinity.” Two papers describing the results of the project will appear in today's issue of the journal
National DNA Day is a unique day when students, teachers and the public can learn more about genetics and genomics! The day commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003, and the discovery of DNA's double helix by Watson, Crick and Rosalind Franklin..jpg)
It’s official! Roche has secured more than 96 percent of shares in Genentech Inc, completing its $46.8 billion buyout of the U.S. biotech group. It now holds some 93 percent of outstanding Genentech shares, a further 3 percent are guaranteed to be delivered within the next three business days and it will integrate the U.S. biotech group as soon as possible.
Late last week, Roche raised the price of its hostile offer to buy out .jpg)
A panel of eight judges at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania was asked to identify the top 20 life-altering technologies that were developed over the last 30 years. The 
Have you ever felt like mixing up a few batches of DNA in your spare time? Well, for those of you who sometimes get the urge I found an 
The consolidation trend in the US life sciences industry continues. Carlsbad, CA-based Invitrogen, a provider of cells, molecular and biochemical probes and reagents used in life sciences research,.jpg)
There is .jpg)
day, my good friend Pete learned that he had prostate cancer. His prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels were slightly elevated over the past few years (they were in a gray zone that made a definitive diagnosis difficult without doing a biopsy). After being urged by his wife and urologist, he had the biopsy performed and, unfortunately, a diagnosis of prostate cancer was made. Hopefully, his cancer is localized to the prostate and will be easily treated via conventional therapies. As many of you may know, prostate cancer is easily treat and the cure rates high if it is detected early.