Genetic testing has already given us a way to prove paternity with almost 100% accuracy and stifle the spread of some dangerous, inherited conditions. The future of genetic testing looks to improve on the technology of today, which can only peer at small portions of DNA strands per test. In the near future, we might even be able to change certain aspects of our genetic makeup.
History
The story of modern day genetic testing begins with Gregor Mendel's pea plant experiments in 1868. Mendel proved that traits were inherited, according to the National Museum of Health. Although genetic testing for paternity goes back to the early 1920s with blood-typing, it did not take off until DNA tests allowed diagnoses of specific diseases in the 1970's, according to ScienceProgress.
Privacy Concerns
A report on the integrity of DNA testing by "The New England Journal of Medicine" claims that the increased use of genetic testing will require that governments take further steps to protect genetic data privacy. When you give a sample to a DNA technician, he often includes a waiver that allows him to use your DNA for research. Some companies are already selling personal information and DNA samples for research purposes. In the wrong hands, this could lead to discrimination by employers if you have a potentially life-threatening inherited condition.
Genome Mapping
The current state of genetic testing can look at only certain parts of a strand DNA at once. In the future, companies will have the technology to look at the entire human genome, reports the National Institute of Health. However, even if you could look at a person's complete genome at once with today's technology, not all genes are well understood by medical science. Future studies should make our knowledge of the human genome more complete.
Gene Therapy
One of the most promising technologies that could cure potentially fatal diseases with no known treatment option is "gene therapy," according to the government's Human Genome Project. "Damaged" genes cannot properly tell their proteins function normally. Gene therapy replaces faulty genes with correct ones, using a virus to carry the working gene into desired cells. Current gene therapy is not very effective and must overcome a number of limitations. Of the utmost concern is finding a way to deal with cell division. Once a round of DNA is inserted into cells, the cells have already begun to divide and grow without the new genes.
Warning
At-home DNA testing is becoming a booming business, with some possible harmful side effects, reports "The New York Times." Consumers of home test kits take their own DNA samples and send them off to a laboratory. The lab then returns with the prognosis of a person's genome. However, no current laws regulate how companies must counsel patients on DNA test results. This often leaves the person to make their own assumptions. For example, if a person was told he lacks a gene associated with heart problems, he may choose to ignore good health habits and eat fatty foods and stop exercising.
Tags: genetic testing, gene therapy, human genome
