Gene Tests: Progress And Pandora's Box

Main Category: Genetics
Article Date: 05 Dec 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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Personalized medicine based on an individual's genes inched closer to routine use this year.

Doctors have started to order gene tests to assess how sensitive people are to the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin), although there are some doubts about how useful such tests will be. Meanwhile, many direct-to-the-consumer genetic tests hit the market.

The tests have raised some concerns. Will they be done correctly? And even if they are, the predictive powers of this early generation of gene tests might be oversold, so some people could be unduly scared while others are falsely assured.

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Harvard Health Letter

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