Reading the runes of my genome: a personal exploration of retail genetics

Since 2007, retail genetic companies have offered personal genome scans: DNA testing based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which are interpreted to provide genetic risks of some common diseases and trait information. There is much discussion of the validity, benefits and risks of this testing, and its ethics and regulation, but little information about the experiences of those who have purchased this testing. This paper offers an autobiographical ethnography, describing the author's use of genome scans purchased from deCODEme and 23andMe. The genetic disease risks provided were generally very modest and there were significant variations in the risks from the two companies. Risks were skeptically interpreted through a frame of knowledge of family disease histories. It is suggested that this personal medicine is likely to disappoint and it does not live up to its claims. Rather than being empowering personalized medicine, these scans are a geneticized medicine of the genomic person.