GENETIC analysis is now quicker and easier than ever, and this will lead to new commercial opportunities.
New technology will advance medical research and improve health, but as it moves into the public domain, potential problems are emerging. Misuse or misinterpretation may be harmful, and in the wrong hands the potential for eugenics exists.
Gene sc
reening is finding new applications across many specialities. Pre-nuptial screening is positively encouraged in certain ethnic groups with a high propensity to genetic disease, such as the Ashkenazi Jews.
Genetic analysis is also becoming more directly accessible to the general public. Companies such as 23andMe and deCODEme advertise on the internet and offer home genetics testing. For around $1,000 (about £570), you can have your genome sequenced from a swab taken from the inside of your cheek.
The companies claim that results may give you an insight into your propensity for certain diseases, your athletic potential and reveal "how you fit into the family of humanity".
Having your genes analysed may become the latest must-have experience. The growing public obsession with self-discovery can now extend beyond life coaching, "find your inner self" classes and tracing your family tree.
What to do with your results isn't clear, but the potential is endless. Perhaps people will soon flaunt their genes on Facebook in an attempt to display an inherent superiority or to find genetically compatible cyber friends or lovers.
Perhaps it is no surprise then that a company called GenePartner already exists. Their remit is not to assess for genetic diseases, but rather to look for genes that may determine your sexual attractiveness. For $199 (about £113) they can aid your search for your ideal partner.
The company collaborates with the Swiss Institute for Behavioural Genetics and focuses on the assessment of HLA (human leukocyte antigen) genes.
HLA determines immunity and response to infection. Previous studies have shown that we are attracted to people with HLA genes opposite to our own. In evolutionary terms, this encourages better genetic mixing in offspring resulting in greater protection from a variety of diseases, and prevents potential inbreeding by identification of kinship.
Partners with different genes are also less likely to experience fertility problems or miscarriages.
Traditionally, we identify HLA genes by literally sniffing them out: HLA genes also control body odour through chemical compounds called pheromones, and humans select partners with opposite genes by way of body scent.
However, a recent study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B suggests that the contraceptive pill could interfere with this process. Researchers asked around 100 women to smell male body odour samples and rate their preference before and after they had started taking the pill, with very different results. The pill can simulate a state of pregnancy and once pregnant the need for a compatible partner for children may recede.
Researchers claim: "It could ultimately lead to the breakdown of relationships when women stop using the contraceptive pill, as odour perception plays a significant role in maintaining attraction to partners." However, evidence to support this theory is currently lacking.
Whether genetic testing will ever really improve human relationships remains to be seen, but the clinical approach certainly knocks the romance out of the process!
Genetic analysis is becoming cheaper and easier, but our ability to make sense of the mass of results is lagging behind.
There are many factors other than genes that define who we are, or determine attractiveness. Genetic screening can help reduce disease and suffering if used sensitively. When it comes to relationships, I would suggest, for now, relying on your innate senses and life experience to guide you.
• Dr Debbie Wake is a specialist registrar at the Western General Hospital. To listen to her podcasts, visit
www.drpod.co.uk 