Why DNA Testing Is Important

From the frontier of genetic engineering to the front lines of criminal justice, DNA testing has become a crucial tool in medical research, patient health care, law enforcement and other areas of science and industry. Because of the significance of DNA testing, it is worthwhile to explore its use in these different arenas, as well as its overall social impact.

DNA Basics

• Every cell of every living organism contains a vital chemical component called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). DNA contains the genetic code to the cell and organism's design, function and development. Translation of this code has resulted in phenomenal advances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and physical disorders and in the study of heritage and genealogy, in addition to contributing to the increased effectiveness of law enforcement.

Health Care and Genetics

• With the "cracking" of the genetic code in the 1950s, geneticists and medical specialists were able to start identifying the genetic traits of heredity-related diseases that were passed from parent to child. Genetic DNA tests have been performed on the general public since the 1960s. Newborn screening tests for Phenylketonuria (PKU) were the first of these genetic DNA tests administered to the general population. PKU is a metabolic disorder resulting in mental retardation without early treatment. Because the symptoms aren't apparent until the later stages of infant development, treatment must be initiated within the first days of birth for optimal success.

  The following decades saw a dramatic reduction in the cases of mental retardation related to PKU because of early intervention. Without the DNA screening tests, the prospects for successful diagnosis and treatment of PKU are greatly diminished. Now with the ability to genetically identify even more diseases and medical conditions, utilizing different types of genetic DNA testing is routine in clinical practice. The different types of DNA testing for medical purposes include: diagnostic testing, presymptomatic testing, carrier testing, prenatal testing and newborn screening.

Forensics

• The extraordinary impact of DNA testing on forensic science has transformed law enforcement procedure, resolved civil paternity suits and changed the perception of criminal justice. DNA "fingerprinting" (also called "DNA profiling" and "DNA typing") was introduced to the evidentiary process in the mid-1980s by Dr. Alec J. Jeffreys of Great Britain. This revolutionary technique made it possible to perform human identity tests and, ultimately, link perpetrators with their crimes. The accuracy of this process has resulted in the closing of thousands of criminal cases and overturned the convictions of hundreds of wrongfully imprisoned persons. Private paternity-testing facilities conduct hundreds of thousands of tests annually in the United States. The number of public forensic laboratories in the United States has grown at an exponential rate (numbering more than 150) and influenced the advancement of forensic DNA programs in Europe and Asia.

Genealogy

• Genealogy is defined as the study of family descent. Perhaps the most popular DNA test performed related to genealogy is the paternity test that determines the biological father of a child. DNA tests also play a significant role in revealing other aspects of genealogy, such as ethnic heritage and carrier patterns for certain medical conditions.

Important Issues

• Despite the benefits gained from DNA testing, it also raises many contentious issues in the private sector and the academic and legal communities. Some of these issues include: the lack of uniform regulation for quality control, violation of constitutional rights to privacy and discrimination by insurance companies based on an individual's genetic history.