Kristen V. Brown’s Post

DNA testing leading to YOU (yes, you - the one that did not take biology class) being in a position to make life-changing decisions on your health by taking some treatment/supplements while monitoring (and paying) for tests - to MAXIMISE your chances of not catching a disease (no guarantees, mind you) sounds something out of an MLM conference. But hey as long as it is legal. "A few months after the op-ed ran, during an appearance on CBS This Morning, 23andMe Chief Executive Officer Anne Wojcicki said she was bringing the power of these sorts of DNA tests to everyone. Her startup would make testing affordable, she said, so it could build a massive repository of genetic data, one big enough to speed research and create a road map for living to age 100." Plausible as a business pitch. To sharks. Or dragons. Her proof? "Wojcicki cited her own DNA as proof of concept: She’d quit drinking after finding that she also carried a gene that heightened her risk of breast cancer. " THIS IS SCIENCE?????? Here's a tip: there are more ancient viral fossil fragments in your DNA than there are 'you'. In other words, your DNA has got more stuff that is 'not you' than 'you.' The effect of DNA on health is not clearly understood - but that is okay for snake oil merchants anyway, or anytime in history. "We’re still waiting, in other words, for health care’s great DNA revolution. And a growing contingent is starting to question whether genetic data simply isn’t of much use to the average person. “Everyone now is getting their genetic reports back and realizing that it’s not actually making a damn bit of difference when it comes to their health,” Because we have a chance of catching anything, my father died of cancer. My grandfather died of cancer. I don't smoke (they did) and I drink less than they did - I still might catch the dreaded C. Or not. "“I’m more confident than ever,” Wojcicki says. “But I think there’s also that reality that it’s not like gold dripping from trees.” Few have more riding on the next phase of applications from DNA testing than 23andMe. Over the past decade, it’s tried a lot of strategies to make personalized genetics profitable. It partnered with Big Pharma to develop drugs from DNA insights. It acquired a telehealth company. Most recently it rolled out a $999 yearlong testing subscription that includes full sequencing of the genome’s protein coding regions, two rounds of blood tests and analysis from a clinician. Still, it has yet to graduate from stocking stuffer to health care. As kit sales have slowed, investors have soured on the company’s longer-term bets, and its stock is on the verge of being delisted from the Nasdaq." How many DNA helathcare plays were funded the last 2 years? Zero. The model is dead, because the business idea is too far ahead of the technology that makes it possible - in medicine and in society. They are not a precursor, they are too early with NO TECH - which makes them snake oil salespeople in my books.

The enthusiasm surrounding the potential of DNA testing for answering life's big health questions has seen highs and lows. A decade ago, spurred by celebrity endorsements and TV shows like "Finding Your Roots," many believed that DNA tests could unlock secrets of ancestry and health predispositions. Angelina Jolie's public disclosure about her genetic risk for cancer and subsequent preventive surgery heightened interest in DNA testing's health implications. Anne Wojcicki, CEO of 23andMe, aimed to democratize DNA testing by making it affordable and creating a massive genetic data repository to aid research and health longevity. Despite initial excitement, including partnerships with Big Pharma and ventures into telehealth, 23andMe struggled to integrate into mainstream healthcare and has yet to turn a profit. The challenges stem not from physician resistance alone but from the limited practical utility of genetic testing. Most genetic insights offer little more than ancestral trivia, and while individual genes like BRCA can predict certain health risks, complex diseases like heart disease involve many genes and are heavily influenced by lifestyle. Recent ventures by 23andMe, such as the Total Health subscription, aim to provide comprehensive health assessments combining genetic data with blood tests and clinical consultations. However, the uptake has been modest, and the company faces financial pressures, with its stock value dropping significantly. The broader scientific community remains skeptical about the widespread utility of genetic data for predicting and preventing diseases. While genetic testing has enabled some advances in understanding and treating rare genetic conditions, its impact on common diseases and overall health management is limited. As the story around DNA testing shifts from a revolutionary tool to a more supplementary one, the industry is grappling with the reality of high expectations unmet by complex genetic realities. #DNARevolution #23andMe #GeneticTesting #HealthcareInnovation #AncestryDNA #PreventiveHealth #BiotechTrends

Bloomberg is right that mass, unfocused genetic testing is ineffective for the general population. People with risk factors may not get the condition, and patients who do not have the risk factors may contract it. There are few answers to the question: "What should I do as a result?" Today's genomic testing adds tremendous value to the patient and the system when the condition is diagnosed, helping clinicians select the optimal treatment. There are "targeted therapies" for oncology patients that require the diagnostic for the clinicians to consider the individual's and the tumor's genomics as well as other factors. In addition, not all people process medications in the same way. Some very expensive drugs are miracles for some and do nothing for others based on genomics.

#DNA gets damaged in different ways, so living things have developed various ways to fix it. These repair mechanisms and processes are called the DNA-damage response (DDR).🧬 🔬It is important to study DNA repair and DDR mechanisms because malfunctions in these areas can lead to cancer and different genetic disorders in humans. Come with us to #CYTO2024 to discuss how current research is helping us figure out why #cancercells can become resistant to treatments and how we can use this knowledge to develop new treatment methods.

Genetic Food for Thought. Having the EXACT SAME PATHOGENIC GENETIC MUTATION passed down over multiple generations -- sometimes centuries -- is obviously a familial issue, NOT an individual one.    But changing medical laws that haven’t evolved with genomic science is difficult. So instead, getting families to communicate about family health and cancer history is a big part of my advocacy. In future posts, I will be sharing tools that can be used to help with the sharing of genetic information among genetic relatives. There are cancers that are preventable.   Here is the link to the scientific paper: https://lnkd.in/gxnMVKdC --------------------------------- Find out how family communication helps prevent hereditary cancer at ConnectMyVariant.org www.connectmyvariant.org/ Genetic Testing Saves Lives! Find out more My Faulty Gene. www.myfaultygene.org/ Support for individuals and families facing hereditary cancer at FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered www.facingourrisk.org Glossary of terms and some of the more common inherited genetic mutations as well as downloadable infographics created by me at www.genetionary.org   #GeneticTesting #HIPAA #Health #FamilyHealth #HereditaryCancer #cancer #BRCA1 #BRCA2 #PALB2 #FrenchCanadians #BreastCancer #HBOC #DNA #FamilyTree #ancestors #GeneticInheritance #1FORCEcommunity #genes #relatives #family

Thanks, Mark, for including My Faulty Gene in your list of resources. The importance of sharing the knowledge of our inherited mutations with other family members cannot be overstated—the topic keeps me awake at night. Sharing this information with others can literally lead to LIFESAVING medical interventions. But only if the information is shared. The urgency of the need to promote family testing is what led My Faulty Gene to travel across the country for a couple of months last year and capture compelling stories on video about the importance of genetic testing and cascade testing. We believe our #FamilyGeneShare initiative will lead to increased genetic testing and will ultimately be lifesaving for many. As someone whose life was saved because of the knowledge I gained through genetic testing, I speak from my own personal knowledge. Yes, it’s personal for me. And it’s personal for Mark as well. His wife was not told when a couple of family members learned they had a BRCA2 mutation. Had she been told—she would still be alive today. Mark’s story is one of the compelling stories captured in the Family Gene Share videos. If you have a personal or family history of cancer, consider genetic testing. If you have a family member with a known mutation and you’ve never tested—get tested. If you have a known mutation and you have not shared that information with others—SHARE IT! Genetic testing saves lives! #hereditarycancer #cascadetesting #genetictesting #knowyourrisk #savealife #familyhealthhistory

As the daughter of a breast cancer survivor who underwent genetic testing, seeing the results of those tests being used as sample populations for MR analyses and as data included in training models for developing machine learning algorithms makes me so hopeful for the future of AI research and the impact it will have on determining bio-indicators for a disease that effects so many of our loved ones. #bioinformatics #healthAI

On World DNA Day, let's untangle the genetics of cancer and take control of our health. Early screening saves lives. #WorldDNADay #CancerAwareness #spotcancerearlybeatcancerearly #cytecarehospital #bangalorehospital #cytecarecares

Embark on a scientific journey with our latest article! 🔍 Explore the significance of the cell cycle in healthcare and molecular research. From cancer diagnosis to drug development, learn how it influences genetic disorders and reproductive health. 👉 Read more at: https://bit.ly/480aF4p #HHCInnovates #MedicalTechnology #ExploreHHC #LabQuality #PrecisionTesting #CellCycle #HealthcareInnovation #MolecularResearch