Building a Family History with DNA and Social Networking
If you’ve been reading our journal and other health-related publications, you already know that heredity plays a big role in assessing your own risk of cancer. But what if you don’t know much about your family history?
Two new web sites might be able to help you fill in the blanks.
GeneTree and Ancestry.com are two new online genealogy research services utilizing DNA testing to assist those who have trouble tracing their roots using conventional methods. To get started, users submit results of genetic tests they’ve already taken or send back DNA samples using mailed kits sold by the companies.
Once the individual’s genetic profile has been captured, the services compare it with information contained in immigration, military and other databases to trace a family’s origin. An online family tree is created and then social networking features similar to those of Facebook and MySpace are used for making contact with other members of the user’s tree.
The companies report they have implemented special security measures to protect the privacy and personal information of individuals born in the last 100 years, but only time will tell whether those protections are enough to attract customers leery of sharing their DNA information.
As added reassurance, company officials point out that the segment of DNA analyzed for genealogical research isn’t of much value to insurance companies and employers trying to establish one’s predisposition for certain diseases or to law enforcement officials looking for criminals.
Proponents of online genealogy point out it can be particularly useful to population groups with fragmented historical records caused by forced relocation or war.
For those trying to assess their personal health risks, it should be mentioned that these DNA testing services aren’t designed to look for known disease biomarkers—you should consult a qualified genetic counselor for that type of support. But these research services, and others like them, could prove to be a useful tools for supplementing and sharing knowledge about your own family history (health or otherwise).
Source: abc news
Related Links: NCI; Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation; USA TODAY; Interpol; AOL News; BusinessWeek.com; Genetics Society of America
Related Video: Genome Ethics from WebMD Cancer Health Center
Related Podcast: October 2007 Episode from Heredity, official journal of the Genetics Society
Spanish Links: Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (Spanish National Cancer Research Center)
Tags: James Lee Sorenson; Sorenson Genomics; Provo; Salt Lake City; Utah
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