4 ms·

If they can't show that the associations they're reporting are valid, what purpose does it serve to report them? Showing correlations and study information rel

by crusso 13y ago

If they can't show that the associations they're reporting are valid, what purpose does it serve to report them? Showing correlations and study information related to markers found in your genes doesn't serve a purpose? Shouldn't that be up to people to decide with their $99? Tell me that this information and their method of finding correlations isn't doesn't have huge potential benefits: https://www.23andme.com/about/factoids/ https://www.23andme.com/about/factoids/

kohanz 13y ago
Nobody is denying that there is potentially a lot of value in 23andMe's genetic reporting. The point is, like all other medical tests before them, they need to go through the proper regulatory channels to ensure their safety and validity. It decidedly should not be "up to the people to decide" because we know that society at-large is not informed enough to make these decisions. What makes 23andme different from all of the other medical tests and technology out there?!
- crusso 13y ago
  society at-large is not informed enough to make these decisions So we're smart enough to vote for our overlords and trust that they'll put in FDA bureaucrats who have our best interests at heart and will watch out for us -- but we're not smart enough to receive information on the genes in our bodies. Besides the lack of logic in such a system of decisionmaking... besides the lack of freedom of such a system of information control... the system you seem to want is a self-fulfilling prophecy in that the more people are shielded from the black art of medicine, the more that ignorance will grow as information sources are kept from the masses. What makes 23andme different from all of the other medical tests and technology out there The fact that they're not marketed as a clinical tool for diagnoses? The fact that they are not marketing themselves as a substitute for seeing your doctor and in fact encourage you to seek out your doctor if you have real health concerns?
  - kohanz 13y ago
    The fact that they're not marketed as a clinical tool for diagnoses? From the 23andme homepage: "A simple DNA test led to an unexpected diagnosis for a mother and daughter, changing their lives forever.". Obviously the key is the "led to" phrasing, but you can't deny how that wording is trying to position the product. The fact that they are not marketing themselves as a substitute for seeing your doctor and in fact encourage you to seek out your doctor if you have real health concerns? As I mentioned in another 23andme thread, basic take-home pregnancy tests are regulated by the FDA. Certainly, when one of those tells you that you are pregnant, your actions don't stop there and you will eventually follow up with a medical professional. What differentiates 23andme's genetic testing from a pregnancy test? (on a side-note, I would appreciate an explanation for the down-vote on my earlier post in this thread. Are we supposed to down-vote people we disagree with, or was there something wrong with my wording?)
    - crusso 13y ago
      What differentiates 23andme's genetic testing from a pregnancy test? I'd say that it's the specificity of the purpose of the test and the scientific understanding of what is being confirmed. Women go to the drugstore to buy a pregnancy test because they have a REASONABLE EXPECTATION of learning whether or not they're pregnant. Personally I wish the FDA would get out of the business of validating each pregnancy test product on the market. I'd prefer that something like the UL be used instead. 23AM is doing something much different. They're allowing you to have markers identified in your DNA for a very low cost and then they link those markers to labels and information sources as well as tying them in with their own correlations to other 23AM users. It's all very unspecific and bleeding edge. It's not about proving every little correlation and its interpretation - it's about providing that information to users and letting them make their own decisions. What amazes me is that here on HN where we want the source to every driver, the schematic to every chip, and the right to know every secret of the government related to our personal information -- there are those who are arguing that we should not be allowed to have data pulled straight out of our genome and correlated with the data from other users unless fully sanctioned and sanitized by a government agency that is woefully incapable of operating in a fast-moving environment where uncertainty is okay and a REASONABLE EXPECTATION. I would appreciate an explanation for the down-vote on my earlier post in this thread Meh, I got downvoted earlier too... I try not to worry about it since Karma means nothing. I'm more interested in learning new things from others and clarifying my own personal philosophy while practicing expressing myself.

by crusso 13y ago

kohanz 13y ago

Nobody is denying that there is potentially a lot of value in 23andMe's genetic reporting. The point is, like all other medical tests before them, they need to go through the proper regulatory channels to ensure their safety and validity. It decidedly should not be "up to the people to decide" because we know that society at-large is not informed enough to make these decisions. What makes 23andme different from all of the other medical tests and technology out there?!

crusso 13y ago
society at-large is not informed enough to make these decisions So we're smart enough to vote for our overlords and trust that they'll put in FDA bureaucrats who have our best interests at heart and will watch out for us -- but we're not smart enough to receive information on the genes in our bodies. Besides the lack of logic in such a system of decisionmaking... besides the lack of freedom of such a system of information control... the system you seem to want is a self-fulfilling prophecy in that the more people are shielded from the black art of medicine, the more that ignorance will grow as information sources are kept from the masses. What makes 23andme different from all of the other medical tests and technology out there The fact that they're not marketed as a clinical tool for diagnoses? The fact that they are not marketing themselves as a substitute for seeing your doctor and in fact encourage you to seek out your doctor if you have real health concerns?
- kohanz 13y ago
  The fact that they're not marketed as a clinical tool for diagnoses? From the 23andme homepage: "A simple DNA test led to an unexpected diagnosis for a mother and daughter, changing their lives forever.". Obviously the key is the "led to" phrasing, but you can't deny how that wording is trying to position the product. The fact that they are not marketing themselves as a substitute for seeing your doctor and in fact encourage you to seek out your doctor if you have real health concerns? As I mentioned in another 23andme thread, basic take-home pregnancy tests are regulated by the FDA. Certainly, when one of those tells you that you are pregnant, your actions don't stop there and you will eventually follow up with a medical professional. What differentiates 23andme's genetic testing from a pregnancy test? (on a side-note, I would appreciate an explanation for the down-vote on my earlier post in this thread. Are we supposed to down-vote people we disagree with, or was there something wrong with my wording?)
  - crusso 13y ago
    What differentiates 23andme's genetic testing from a pregnancy test? I'd say that it's the specificity of the purpose of the test and the scientific understanding of what is being confirmed. Women go to the drugstore to buy a pregnancy test because they have a REASONABLE EXPECTATION of learning whether or not they're pregnant. Personally I wish the FDA would get out of the business of validating each pregnancy test product on the market. I'd prefer that something like the UL be used instead. 23AM is doing something much different. They're allowing you to have markers identified in your DNA for a very low cost and then they link those markers to labels and information sources as well as tying them in with their own correlations to other 23AM users. It's all very unspecific and bleeding edge. It's not about proving every little correlation and its interpretation - it's about providing that information to users and letting them make their own decisions. What amazes me is that here on HN where we want the source to every driver, the schematic to every chip, and the right to know every secret of the government related to our personal information -- there are those who are arguing that we should not be allowed to have data pulled straight out of our genome and correlated with the data from other users unless fully sanctioned and sanitized by a government agency that is woefully incapable of operating in a fast-moving environment where uncertainty is okay and a REASONABLE EXPECTATION. I would appreciate an explanation for the down-vote on my earlier post in this thread Meh, I got downvoted earlier too... I try not to worry about it since Karma means nothing. I'm more interested in learning new things from others and clarifying my own personal philosophy while practicing expressing myself.