Faculty of Law and School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Hum Genet. 2011 Jul;130(1):23-5. doi: 10.1007/s00439-011-0987-8. Epub 2011 Apr 11.
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing continues to receive significant attention from both the popular press and policymakers. While the demand for these services has not, to date, been significant, it nevertheless seems likely that more and more individuals will be accessing DTC services. As a result, commentators have suggested that the DTC industry requires more oversight. A common rationale for policy action is that DTC services might cause undue anxiety. However, emerging evidence suggests that this is not the case. Indeed, it appears that genetic risk information has little impact on individual behavior or anxiety levels. Though more research is clearly needed, this type of research should inform the regulatory response to DTC services.
直接面向消费者的基因检测继续受到大众媒体和政策制定者的高度关注。虽然这些服务的需求迄今为止并不显著，但越来越多的人似乎将使用直接面向消费者的服务。因此，评论员认为，直接面向消费者的行业需要更多的监督。采取政策行动的一个常见理由是，直接面向消费者的服务可能会引起不必要的焦虑。然而，新出现的证据表明情况并非如此。事实上，遗传风险信息似乎对个人行为或焦虑水平没有影响。虽然显然需要更多的研究，但这种类型的研究应该为直接面向消费者的服务的监管反应提供信息。
