DNA Direct Announces DNA Perspectives

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted April 18, 2008 in Business of DNA, DNA Testing

An editorial in the April 10, 2008 issue of Nature discusses “transparency and honesty” in the genetic testing industry. One suggestion was to create a registry in lieu of greater federal regulation. Such a registry would include data about genetic tests and the evidence that supports making such tests commercially available.

Such a registry should be international, harmonizing information in what will doubtless be an industry without borders. This approach seems preferable to stepped-up regulation by agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which — in addition to travelling at the snail’s pace of bureaucracy rather than the lightning speed of burgeoning markets — could easily have the effect of driving less-than-desirable players underground, where sub-standard tests will remain as easy to buy as black-market DVDs.

Daniel MacArthur at Genetic Future has more on the editorial. I’ve also helped DNA Direct, where I work as a genetic information specialist, write a response to the editorial (pdf) in which we announce the DNA Perspectives initiative.

DNA Perspectives will be a collaborative site developed by a wide range of industry experts to objectively evaluate the clinical validity and utility of genetic markers as well as commercially available genetic tests.

Unlike other genetics resources currently available on the Web, DNA Perspectives is designed specifically to assist consumers in evaluating genetic discoveries and commercially available genetic tests with the use of our exclusive rating system. A DNA Perspectives wiki with the latest and most relevant genetics information will be created and maintained by invited genetics experts. DNA Perspectives will be available to the public for free. It is based on the principles of the open source movement: transparency, permeable access, and collaboration. In addition, a special forum will be open to consumers for their comments and personal ratings of genetic tests.

If you’re interested in being updated as DNA Perspectives develops or perhaps becoming involved as an expert contributor, you can submit your email at the DNA Perspectives page.

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5 Comments

Comment by Steven Murphy MD

2008-04-18 17:30:25

Hsien,
The DNA perspectives link doesn’t work. Also, with EGAPP and our project at DVPMP doing the same things, do you think it would be good to have academia and corporations collaborating together on this initiative with transparency on the methods which are used to evaluate the literature?

-Steve
http://www.thegenesherpa.blogspot.com

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Comment by Hsien-Hsien Lei, PhD

2008-04-18 17:48:40

Oops. Thanks for pointing that out. The first link worked, the second link was b0rked.

As for collaboration and transparency, I believe the more the better.

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Comment by Steven Murphy MD

2008-04-18 19:17:02

Sign me up!!!
-Steve

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Comment by NA

2008-04-20 18:11:42

Do you get paid? It not, its not worth my time.

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Comment by John Whitehouse

2008-04-21 03:14:31

It might be worth considering the experience of the World Wide Web Consortium and Tim Berners-Lee’s book “Weaving the Web”. It has been and eye opener for me about the methods for structuring trust within a technology. He provides a good discussion of the ethics of technology applications.

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