U. California-Berkeley is used to getting a lot of attention for its scientific breakthroughs. It is also used to getting a lot of flak on issues of scientific ethics. Although these questions often relate to serious issues, such as a multi-million dollar deal with an oil company or a professor who denies that HIV causes AIDS, last week saw a storm of nationwide controversy based on … a cotton swab.
Perhaps that oversimplifies the issue too much. The theme for the College of Letters and Science’s On the Same Page (OSP) program for incoming freshmen will be personalized medicine. The most notable aspect of the program is a cheek swab for DNA that would analyze how well participants can tolerate alcohol, metabolize lactose and absorb folic acid.
Genetic testing is an issue of legitimate controversy. For example, access to one’s genetic information can allow insurance companies to discriminate against those predisposed to certain diseases. Those suspicious of the OSP program have also raised concerns regarding the lack of personalized genetic counseling.
The concern over this genetic test is overblown. This program offers a relevant platform for students to engage the very questions of bioethics that the critics are so concerned about. And it appeals to science-oriented students who would’ve felt left out by the more humanities-oriented OSP offerings of the past.
These critics may have had a point if the gene markers tested for how likely one was to develop cancer or heart disease. But in fact, the markers are for innocuous conditions that do not indicate the likelihood of developing a disease.
Moreover, the campus Institutional Review Board has approved the program, indicating it meets basic ethical standards for informed consent. The testing is confidential: Its design makes it difficult for anybody to be able to match the results to a particular student.
Genetics has been a loaded issue for more than a century, so this controversy is not surprising. But it is unfortunate that a safe program with strong educational potential would inspire such vocal opposition.