Genetic tests

According to reports, the US Food and Drug Administration is allowing 23andMe, a US company, to sell genetic tests to people without doctor’s prescription, indicating the FDA is further easing its regulation of the genetic test industry in the United States.

Many domestic genetic test companies are also hoping to grab a share of the potentially huge market. It is expected that the market share of China’s genetic test industry may exceed 30 billion yuan ($4.78 billion) in the next five years, and it is predicted the longterm potential market value of genetic testing will reach more than 100 billion yuan.

But the marketization of genetic test services also poses huge risks of privacy leaks. As people provide a saliva sample to the company for a genetic test, they have no idea how that gene sample will be disposed of or used. Without relevant laws and regulations, individual genetic information, especially disease-causing genes, may be leaked and could lead to discrimination or other violations of their rights and interests.

Moreover, whether the customers’ genetic sample could be exploited for research use is also a problem that the law needs to address.

Relevant laws and regulations, as well as technological measures, are required to protect an individual’s genetic privacy.