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01-09-2020 | Recent Developments

DIY Genetic Tests: A Product of Fact or Fallacy?

Author: Olga C. Pandos

Published in: Journal of Bioethical Inquiry | Issue 3/2020

Excerpt

Commercialization of DNA is the new norm of biological enterprise. Our genetic material underpins our notions of self and well-being and, most importantly, our risk for disease. DNA holds the information necessary to quantitatively determine predispositions to disease and the likelihood of that disease occurring. Although do-it-yourself (DIY) genetic tests have introduced a new dimension to genetic screening, the ethical concerns are telling. Issues relating to genetic misinformation through misleading advertisement are significant problems in the context of DIY genetic tests. …

SNPs are single base pair changes within a DNA sequence.

Also known as “genes of interest.”

A phenotype refers to the expression of a characteristic, such as hair colour.

Receptor: a membrane protein which accepts a molecule to initiate a response.

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Title: DIY Genetic Tests: A Product of Fact or Fallacy?
Author: Olga C. Pandos
Publication date: 01-09-2020
Publisher: Springer Singapore
Published in: Journal of Bioethical Inquiry / Issue 3/2020
Print ISSN: 1176-7529
Electronic ISSN: 1872-4353
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-020-09995-6

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