« genomic heart risk | Main | Restless Leg Syndrome »
August 01, 2007
more on deCODE
On rereading the article I can't link, I am infuriated and bemused. I have no doubt that much money will be transferred (not made) for foolishness like this. The study in question found 50 genetic differences between high-risk cardiac patients and healthy, older people. But when these were run against other similar studies, only two were found consistent. (Remember the Non-validation study by Morgan etal.) So at least they had the honesty to check their work against other studies. But any of the 50 could have a claim. Just because these two check out so far, what makes us think there is an actual causal relationship? This is not even a reasonable gene that is being discussed.
Further, nearly 1/4 (25%) of the normal healthy participants have this same variation. The variation is only found in 33% of the high-risk group. This is notably a 33% increase, meaningless when seen in absolute terms of 8% difference. But the meaninglessness transmogrifies into a beastly and hurtful significance if such genetic testing takes hold. What happens to the 25% of the healthy population who, GATTACA-style, are deemed defective on the basis of this variant? What happened to Uma. She makes herself a cardiac cripple on the basis of the test. And this is the Nemesis.
| By Robert Maddox | 11:45 AM