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Question Everything

Feb 27, 2009

Hsien-Hsien Lei posts six questions that the American Clinical Laboratory Association suggests consumers ask before buying a genetic test. One is ask yourself if you are willing to take the time to understand what the test will be telling you and if the lab is CLIA-certified. Other questions add up to seeing if the tests passes the smell test -- if the claims seem to be too good to be true or the company is trying to get you to buy other products along with the test, something maybe amiss.

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The Scan

Study Finds Few FDA Post-Market Regulatory Actions Backed by Research, Public Assessments

A Yale University-led team examines in The BMJ safety signals from the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System and whether they led to regulatory action.

Duke University Team Develops Programmable RNA Tool for Cell Editing

Researchers have developed an RNA-based editing tool that can target specific cells, as they describe in Nature.

Novel Gene Editing Approach for Treating Cystic Fibrosis

Researchers in Science Advances report on their development of a non-nuclease-based gene editing approach they hope to apply to treat cystic fibrosis.

Study Tracks Responses in Patients Pursuing Polygenic Risk Score Profiling

Using interviews, researchers in the European Journal of Human Genetics qualitatively assess individuals' motivations for, and experiences with, direct-to-consumer polygenic risk score testing.