image: These are DTC genomic test results for a hypothetical patient, Betty. Betty’s personal genomic scanning report about cancer risk and the likelihood of a nonmedical trait, a heightened ability to detect bitter taste. According to the DTC testing company, the chart shows the effects of Betty’s genotype at the eight tested markers. Orange bars indicate increased risk relative to the average, whereas blue bars indicate decreased risk. The light gray bars show the maximum possible effects of all possible genotypes at each marker. This image relates to an article that appeared in the February 3, 2010, issue of Science Translational Medicine. The study, by Dr. Eng of Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, and colleagues was titled, "Bioethical and Clinical Dilemmas of Direct-to-Consumer Personal Genomic Testing: The Problem of Misattributed Equivalence." view more
Credit: Image by C. Bickel, © <i>Science</I>/AAAS