Personal gene scans: Vanity or science?

ByABC News
April 1, 2008, 1:21 AM

SAN FRANCISCO -- For the price of a good men's suit, a batch of new services will scan your genes and spot potential health risks, from cancer to lower back pain.

It's the business world's answer to a deluge of new genetic discoveries pouring forth from scientists' labs. Key investors in two of the companies, 23andMe and Navigenics, are among the biggest names in new technology.

But some analysts and investors wonder if consumers are ready to trust these start-ups when their own fine print warns against using their information to make serious medical decisions.

"I am a bit skeptical that many people are going to pay $1,000 for information that's not very useful just for entertainment value," said Douglas M. Fambrough, a biotech venture capitalist with Oxford Bioscience Partners in Boston.

"I would say that getting your whole genome sequenced is really at this point just a vanity exercise."

Most of these direct-to-consumer services don't actually scan all 3 billion letters of an individual's DNA although Knome of Cambridge, Mass., will for $350,000. Many more will search for specific genes or clues to your family history for a few hundred dollars.

But some serious money has been invested in three companies that charge about $1,000 to $2,000 for an analysis of 500,000 to 2 million points where research suggests connections to specific health conditions.

To take the test, customers get simple kits for taking saliva samples that the companies then analyze. After a few weeks, customers can log into secure websites to view possible health risks embedded in their genes.

With that information in hand, patients have a powerful tool for homing in on potential medical problems before they show up, said Mari Baker, president and chief executive of Redwood Shores-based Navigenics.

"Our goal as a company is to improve health outcomes," said Baker. "This isn't about genetic curiosity."

When it launches in April, Navigenics will offer clients a scan of 2 million genetic markers, along with counseling from experts on how to interpret the results.