23andMe Breast Cancer Genetics Testing
Top of Mind with Julie Rose - Season 1, Episode 767 , Segment 5
Tillerson Out, Best Time to Have a Heart Attack, Breast Cancer Genetics Testing
Episode: Tillerson Out, Best Time to Have a Heart Attack, Breast Cancer Genetics Testing
- Mar 13, 2018 11:00 pm
- 10:35 mins
Guest: Laura Hercher, MS, Director of Student Research, Joan H. Marks Graduate Program in Human Genetics, Sarah Lawrence College If you send in a sample of your saliva to 23andMe, the genetics-testing company will send you a report about where your ancestors came from, and you can pay extra to find out if you’re at risk for Parkinson’s or Late-Onset Alzheimer’s. Just last week, the Federal Drug Administration also gave 23andMe the green light to screen for three mutations that increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. It was screening positive for mutations on these BRCA genes that led Angelina Jolie to have a double mastectomy. This is the first time the FDA has authorized this screening by a company selling directly to consumers.