Genetics and Health

Meeting with DNA Direct

by Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD on August 21st, 2006

Last Thursday, I had the chance to meet Jason Bobe and Lisa Lee of DNA Direct, a direct-to-consumer DNA testing company based in San Francisco. You may remember the DNA Direct ad running on Genetics and Health for a few weeks leading people to their blog (much to some people’s disapproval). I think of meetings and collaborations like this to be part of the way Genetics and Health shares and learns information about the genome revolution. Both the non-profit and for-profit sides of science and medicine must cooperate if we’re going to truly make a positive impact on everyone’s health.

Jason is the Director of Business Development at DNA Direct and Lisa is the Director of Content. The two of them have become valued colleagues in genetics education. No matter what you may think of direct-to-consumer DNA tests, it is easy to figure out which companies are on the up-and-up because some are open to dialogue and others are not. DNA Direct belongs to the former group.

During our cafe lunch (DNA Direct picked up the tab), we talked about the power of health blogs and the future of patient empowerment. The availability of information on the Web is changing the way patients interact with their doctors and other healthcare professionals. That’s not surprising. But right now, it’s still mostly an individual effort. Jason says that technology is being developed that will enable patients to build networks with others experiencing the same symptoms and receiving the same treatments. Then, they’ll truly be able to talk to their physicians about a variety of options, including genetic testing.

And how is DNA Direct faring? They’re building alliances with medical clinics that will be able to offer their patients the choice between in-house genetics testing or DNA Direct. Why would patients and their doctors prefer DNA Direct? Faster processing times, in-depth written reports, and email/phone access to genetic counselors. Also, the backlog at traditional genetics clinics can be lengthy. In the UK, waiting times for BRCA testing appointments can be as long as nine months.

There may be plenty of doubt about the usefulness of genetic tests, but keep in mind that the use of DNA testing varies from genealogy to paternity to personalized nutrition (nutrigenomics) to medical conditions. If consumers are informed, they should be able to make their own choice about which tests they need or would be curious to learn more about. They would have to do the same even when face-to-face with a genetic counselor (Elissa Levin is a board-certified genetic counselor and Clinical Director of DNA Direct). I don’t think anyone is daft enough to think that information from a DNA test alone is enough to cure a disease or improve their health. It is through everyone’s joint efforts that we’ll make any headway.

I’ll be returning to London this Saturday. If anyone else wants to meet up with me there, please email me!

Update: More about DNA Direct in Genetics Interview #14: Lisa Lee.

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