JAMES WATSON, co-discoverer of the double helix, has said that human fate is no longer in the stars but in our genes. There is no doubt that the contents of our 46 chromosomes have a strong influence on who we are, biologically at least, and which medical conditions we are likely to suffer from. But interpreting genetic information reliably is proving far trickier than most experts imagined.
Till now, much of the debate about the downside of genetic tests has been in the abstract. But as more doctors order genetic tests for their patients, we are seeing the first tangible signs of harm. We do not yet know the full facts of the cases in which the genetic screening of pregnant women for cystic fibrosis has gone wrong (see 鈥淭est blunders risk needless abortions鈥�), but what is alarming is what they do not involve.
Over recent years, campaigners, health officials and regulators have grown increasingly worried about entrepreneurs offering dodgy genetic tests over the Internet or the counters of shops. Last month, Britain鈥檚 Human Genetics Commission called for measures to ensure that people are not misled or harmed by such tests. This attention is welcome and necessary. But the cases in the US illustrate starkly that you don鈥檛 need cowboy entrepreneurs or dubious DNA tests for things to go wrong. The blunders seem to have happened to couples going to bona fide clinics, seeking help from doctors, genetic counsellors and reputable diagnostic companies.
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Given the growing clinical and commercial importance of genetic testing there is a real need to stop such confusions being repeated. For now it seems governments, testing companies and clinics need to have far clearer and in some cases more stringent regulations than are now in place.