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DNA Helix

Why and Why Not You May Need A Genetic Councilor

October 8th, 2008 by Andrew Yates

You sometimes add a new dimension to blog-ramblings Andrew :-)

Here’s why you need a genetic counselor: http://tinyurl.com/4ccbo6
- and here’s why you might not need one: http://tinyurl.com/4a9ytg

Originally posted as a comment by Sciphu on Think Gene using Disqus.

Story: genetic councilors are people you pay to console you about the results of a genetic test report to make you feel better and help you make rational decisions about your health when your reasoning may be distorted by emotional distress. If that’s a service you want, buy a couple hours from a genetic councilor.

Computers can never provide human consolation, no matter how excellent and rational their reports. Doctors and scientists feel that councilor work is beneath them, nor are they typically any good at it, nor do they realistically have the capacity to do it. However, scientists tend to be much better at analyzing complex information, and medical doctors can use reports to better synthesize a general understanding of your health to recommend medical action not already prescribed by obvious standard practice.

For example, I would probably make an excellent systems biologist, but the world’s worst genetic councilor. “Beep-bop-boop, you have Huntington’s. Don’t have children.” See? A that’s perfectly rational statement, but it’s illustrative why genetic councilors are important.

But how many people in health care today can read the following expression? Or write it? Or tell me what it means not just clinically, but biologically?

re.search('(CAG){36,}',genome[4][3046205:3215485])
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    • ^
    • v
    >Computers can never provide human consolation, no matter how excellent and rational their reports.

    For a standalone computer that is true. But a computer connected to the internet is capable of connecting humans to each other on the basis of shared genetics. This works equally well for paid professional geneticist counselors, PatientsLikeMe.com style communities.

    >But how many people in health care today can read the following expression?
    >re.search('(CAG){36,}',genome[4][3046205:3215485])
    1 person. She does clinical leukemia research, occasional fashion modeling and is a certified pilot.

    >Or write it?
    my ($repeat) = substr($genome[4],3046205, $length) =~ /(CAG){36,}/;

    >Or tell me what it means not just clinically, but biologically?
    A repeat of 36 or more or 'CAG's on chromosome 4 between positions 3M and 3.2M. This reliably predicts Huntington's disease with longer occurrences having earlier age of onset.


    Disclaimer: I heart Python and Woody Guthrie. "I don't want no greenback dollar"
    • ^
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    "1 person. She does clinical leukemia research, occasional fashion modeling and is a certified pilot."

    And I'm dating her. And she posted her knowledge once on a web community where her expertise can reach thousands by search.

    "[[Mike writes Perl code]]"

    Mike, if you're so smart, why don't start a web database for all mutations? You could use a LAMP stack if you're "practical" for Python.

    "reliably predicts Huntington's disease"

    You forgot to say that the extra glutamines in the huntington protein which is metabolized into toxic byproducts that kills brain cells. But, you can wiki as good as anyone, so I'm sure you knew. ;)

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