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Real Gattaca

The story of 23andMe in terms of what it means to the customers whose DNA data it holds is reminiscent of Henrietta Lacks on grander scale as the author of this article notes as well:

In some cases, after all, one individual can hold the key to a world of biomedicine. Take the famous case of Henrietta Lacks, whose family struggled in poverty for years after researchers turned her cancer cells into a critical research tool that made millions of dollars. With a far greater range of the human genome decoded, it’s easy to envision a Gattaca-esque future in which the DNA of the masses is mined for personalized miracle cures affordable only to the super rich.

Wojcicki says that’s just not going to happen. “We’re not evil,” she says. “Our brand is being direct-to-consumer and affordable.” For the time being she’s focused on the long, painful process of drug development. She’d like to think she’s earned some trust, but she hasn’t come this far on faith.

When the CEO of a company is found saying "We're not evil" its almost a tactic admission. Google was going around claiming similar about being evil until reality caught up to sloganeering and the signature line got removed from its code of conduct a few years ago. In the meanwhile those of us who could not resist the urge of learning what part of our ancestry was from which part of the world down to the last 1%, we only have ourselves to blame for empowering the likes of 23andMe. 


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