"Fortune telling in the name of technology"? Can genetic testing really "spoil" a child's talent?
There is no clear scientific basis for some testing institutions to say that "a certain genetic change can enhance a certain talent or ability". "There is a genetic basis for human intelligence, but there is no formal article or report on which genetic variations can indicate that a person has a certain talent."
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Beijing News reporter Qiao Chi editor Yuan Guoli proofreader Zhao Lin
Provide a sample of oral mucosa, through genetic testing and analysis, you can know the child's IQ, emotional intelligence, dance, music, sports, personality and other dozens of talent results. A few days ago, "children's talent genetic testing" is popular among some parents.
The Beijing News reporter investigated a number of testing institutions and found that the cost of various talent gene tests ranged from more than 400 yuan to 9,800 yuan, and the tests included IQ, emotional intelligence, sports, painting, music, dance and other aspects. Staff at multiple agencies claim that talent testing is as accurate as 99.9 percent. Some testing agencies claim that each talent and gene locus in the test report is supported by literature, "but it is impossible to make it public." ”
On October 19, Professor Huang Shangzhi, a genetics researcher at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, said in an interview with a reporter from the Beijing News that the current research and application of genes are mainly in the screening and treatment of diseases, and there is no clear scientific basis for whether a certain gene can enhance a certain talent or ability after being changed.
Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary-general of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, said that the testing agency seized the psychology of parents that "children should not lose at the starting line", packaged the concept of "talent genes", carried out targeted marketing and publicity, and created so-called scientific gimmicks. When publicizing, the institution should issue the accreditation qualifications of the authoritative department or authoritative institution, and clearly indicate the necessary information such as clinical data, the qualifications of relevant testing personnel, and the qualifications of testing items, otherwise it is suspected of false publicity.
▲Testing agencies exaggerate the impact of genes on talent in advertising. Screenshots of the network
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"Fortune telling in the name of technology"?
In May this year, Wu Jia did a genetic test for her twin daughters, who were just 7 months old.
Wu Jia has a friend who works at a testing agency called Jisai Medicine, and she recommended a program to Wu Jia to test for talent genes, claiming that it is so that she can better train her children in the future.
With a strong curiosity about the baby's talent, Wu Jia gave the children a genetic test of 1,980 yuan per person. She used the genetic testing sampling box provided by the institution to collect the child's oral mucosa and send it back to the testing institution. Half a month later, Wu Jia received two 35-page test reports each titled "Baby Growth Proposal", which recorded IQ, EQ, expertise and other talents. After receiving the report, a person in the institution claimed to be a "genetics professor" and made a telephone interpretation based on the report.
Suspicious, Wu Jia posted the testing experience on social media, which attracted a lot of doubts.
Some netizens said, "IQ tax, fortune telling under the banner of science and technology"; Some netizens said, "Acquired efforts and living environment have a great impact on people, and this cannot be measured", "Talent is a very complex factor, which cannot be explained simply by using genes".
Different from Wu Jia's participation in genetic testing introduced by a friend, the paper "Investigation of the Current Situation of Commercial Genetic Testing and Suggestions on Legal Regulation" published by China Health Legal System in May 2017 mentioned that there are two main types of customer source channels for genetic testing services, one is the recommendation from traditional Chinese medicine physicians in medical institutions, and the wider customer sources are traditional media advertising and online publicity.
On October 10, a reporter from the Beijing News searched for "talent genetic testing" on Taobao and found that there were also institutions promoting it, with costs ranging from 499 yuan to 799 yuan.
On social platforms and e-commerce platforms, there are many genetic testing institutions promoting the "Children's Talent Genetic Testing" project. Such testing institutions usually have a variety of genetic testing services, including genetic disease identification, chronic disease drug screening, disease risk assessment, ancestry analysis, etc., and children's talent testing is only one of the items.
The above-mentioned testing institutions have similar propaganda about talent genes, calling the test report "a manual for reading children".
In the publicity of the official accounts and official websites of many institutions, it is first emphasized that children cannot lose at the starting line, and it is proposed that applying for multiple training courses is equivalent to costly and time-consuming, causing anxiety among parents, and then leading to the strong correlation between talent and genes, and proposing to judge and understand children's talents and potentials through genes, so as to carry out "personalized education" and achieve the purpose of teaching students according to their aptitude.
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"Experts" who do not match their professional direction
On October 11, a reporter from the Beijing News consulted a number of testing institutions as a parent and found that the cost of various talent genetic tests ranged from 3,500 yuan to 9,800 yuan.
The testing process is basically similar for these testing facilities. The institution will courier the sampling box to the parents, who will use a cotton swab to collect the child's oral mucosa and then send it back to the testing institution for testing. The institution collects DNA cell molecules from the oral mucosa for genetic interpretation for about one to three weeks, and then feeds back the test results to parents in paper or electronic versions.
In order to win the trust of journalists, the staff of several institutions also provided samples of test reports. The test report shows that the test content includes IQ, emotional intelligence, sports, talent, etc., and each item includes many small items, such as IQ, which includes memory, creativity, attention, imagination, logical thinking, mathematical logic, language expression, language understanding, etc., and each talent has a specific gene locus corresponding to it.
The staff of the testing agency said that after the test report came out, there was a process of one-on-one interpretation by experts.
But in fact, the professional direction of the experts mentioned by the agency does not match genetic testing.
When asked by a reporter from the Beijing News if the respiratory doctor could interpret the genetic problem, the staff said that the deputy chief physician was "an expert who has been engaged in regenerative medicine for many years."
After comparing the test reports of multiple institutions, the Beijing News reporter found that for the same natural ability, the detection sites of multiple institutions are not the same. For example, the test report in Jisai Medicine shows that the dance ability is determined by the MG4148 locus on the UGT8 gene and the MG2253 locus on the CREB1 gene, while the test report of Qiande Biotech shows that the dance ability is related to 16 loci such as qk306054 of the ADRB2 gene and qk561061 of the ACE gene.
But staff at both agencies claim that talent testing is 99.9 percent accurate.
▲ is also a dance talent, and the genes and loci detected by different institutions are not consistent. Screenshots of the network
For the same talent, different institutions test genes and loci, Qin Shasha, the founder of Qiande Biology, said that dance talent includes many aspects, (another institution) only testing two genes is definitely unreliable.
Professor Huang Shangzhi, a genetics researcher at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, a well-known expert in medical genetics, denied the relationship between the above genes and talent in an interview with a reporter from the Beijing News on October 19.
Huang Shangzhi said that he only found two genes related to the disease, and did not find anything related to talent. In the disease database, it was shown that a base alteration in the UGT8 gene may be related to tone, and there is no description of causing the disease. Defects caused by somatic mutations in the CREB1 gene may cause bipolar disorder limited to women, and somatic mutations fused with other genes may also lead to histiocytomas and fibrous hemangiomas.
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Unsearchable "Talent Database"
According to Huang Shangzhi, the current research and application of genetic testing is mainly in the screening, diagnosis and targeted therapy of diseases.
Regarding the claim of some testing institutions that "a certain genetic change can enhance a certain talent or ability", Huang Shangzhi said that there is no clear scientific basis at present. "There is a genetic basis for human intelligence, but there is no formal article or report on which genetic variations can indicate that a person has a certain talent."
Qin Shasha also claimed that the child's mathematical logic ability is reflected in which gene and what role it plays, these are "all scientific research results and supported by literature". When the reporter asked whether each talent and gene locus of Qiande Biology were supported by literature, Qin Shasha said that it was "certain", but the gene loci could not be disclosed, "because it is our scientific research results".
Huang Shangzhi pointed out that this is just an empty statement. He mentioned that the role and influence of genes on people can only be determined through a large number of scientific research, clinical trials and data, and the process is very rigorous. If the institution cannot provide specific literature and scientific research history, it is likely to be a scam.
According to Wu Jia, the staff of Jisai Medicine have said that they have a genetic database specifically for Asians, which can compare and reference children's genes.
This statement was also questioned by Huang Shangzhi. He mentioned that at present, there are only gene database websites for medical personnel and professionals to query, which are mainly used to judge the relationship between genes and diseases in medicine, and the mutations of each gene and the diseases caused by them can be found. If there is a database as the agency claims, talent testing should correspond to a "genius database" or "talent database", "as far as I know, there is no such database in China or internationally." ”
Huang Shangzhi believes that if the institution that provides talent genetic testing has scientific and scientific research support, it should clearly provide the corresponding literature and database and the corresponding evidence.
According to Huang Shangzhi's understanding, many consumer-level genetic testing institutions will find a third-party sequencing company to do experiments after receiving the samples, and only interpret the data after getting it. "As long as you find a few people, have a house, and have a computer, you can do [interpretation]."
The scientific nature of genetic testing has been widely questioned for many years.
In 2019 and 2020, Jiangsu TV and CCTV Rule of Law Channel questioned the scientificity of talent genetic testing. Hu Suwei, a doctor from Yangzhou Medical Genetics Center, said that "the detection of talent genes is a gimmick to a large extent", not to mention whether commercial testing institutions have genetic testing capabilities, even if there is, with the current scientific level, it is impossible to measure the child's talent, and the so-called talent genetic testing is to fool people under the guise of science.
In December 2021, Yin Ye, CEO of BGI, also publicly said when talking about talent genetic testing, "This is just the epitome of Jackie Chan and digital fortune-telling in this era." Anyone who does fortune telling under the guise of high technology is spurned by us. If you really want your child to be talented, you should accompany and create an environment. ”
At the end of September this year, the "Workers' Daily" published a report on the genetic testing of talents, again questioning this behavior.
On October 10, the WeChat public account of the Guangdong Cyberspace Administration quoted the report to refute the rumors, pointing out that the specific genes and how to determine people's talent cannot be accurately answered with the current level of science and technology. At present, the function of genetic testing is mainly to avoid the birth of infants with hereditary diseases and congenital diseases through screening, or to prevent, diagnose and treat some chronic diseases through genetic intervention.
▲In the website of a testing agency, talent gene testing includes IQ, EQ, talent, and sports. Screenshots of the network
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Missing standards
In the interview, when the Beijing News reporter asked to check the qualifications of the institution and relevant testing personnel, the testing agency would shirk it for various reasons.
The medical staff of Jisai claimed, "I don't have it on hand, but if I don't have the qualifications, how can I build a high-input laboratory?" An instrument costs millions of dollars. In order to dispel the reporter's concerns, the staff member also said, "This technology is actually very mature, and genetic testing is to give parents some guidance." ”
When the Beijing News reporter asked to know about the database for reference, the staff of Jiaxue Gene said, "It is a professional database, it requires an account, and only professionals can enter it." As for the qualifications of talent genetic testing projects and personnel, the staff said that they could not provide qualification certificates for talent testing, "but the institution is a medical laboratory, which itself is a medical practice institution." ”
According to industrial and commercial information, the main company of Jiaxue Gene is Jiaxue Gene Medical Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., with a business address in Changping District, and its business scope includes technology promotion services, investment management, market research, economic information consulting, and sales of medical devices Class I.
On October 24, a reporter from the Beijing News called the Changping District Health Commission, and the staff said that Jiaxue Gene does not belong to medical institutions and is not within the scope of supervision of the Health Commission. "It's a commercial act, not a medical act."
When the reporter pointed out that Jiaxue Gene could not provide a certificate of qualification, the staff said, "If it is a medical institution, the license must be there, and it should be provided at any time." ”
Huang Shangzhi mentioned that at present, the application scenarios of genetic testing in the medical field are roughly divided into three categories: scientific research grade, clinical grade and consumer grade. The scientific research grade is mainly for scientific researchers, and is used for medical research, drug research and development, etc.; The clinical level includes genetic disease diagnosis, tumor medication guidance, chronic medication, tumor risk screening, and forensic science application. Children's innate genetic testing is a consumer-grade genetic test, also known as commercial testing, and this kind of testing institution is usually a company outside of medical institutions.
The Beijing News reporter learned that common consumer-grade genetic testing items include nutritional metabolism ability, hangover ability, weight loss guidance, drug reaction testing, skin management, susceptible diseases, ancestor traceability testing, etc., with prices ranging from 199 yuan to 1,000 yuan. However, consumer-grade genetic testing is only a part of physical examination or health management, and if further targeted testing or treatment is required, diagnosis by professional medical institutions and clinicians is still required.
According to the "Workers' Daily", in the current "Catalogue of Clinical Laboratory Items of Medical Institutions (2013 Edition)", the items of genetic testing belong to clinical molecular biology and cytogenetic testing, including tumor molecular biology testing, disease-related molecular biology and cytogenetic testing, and drug-guided molecular biology testing, etc., and "natural genetic testing" is not within the scope of the catalog.
The relevant departments have clear regulations on the standardization of clinical genetic testing. Taking the "Notice on Standardizing the Carrying out of Clinical Genetic Testing Projects by Medical Institutions" issued by the Dalian Municipal Health Commission as an example, it is clearly stipulated that medical institutions carrying out clinical genetic testing projects should have the diagnosis and treatment subject "medical laboratory department/clinical cell molecular genetics major" approved by the health department, and obtain the access (filing) qualification of clinical gene amplification testing technology.
In addition, medical devices are an important tool for genetic testing, and genetic testing companies must hold a "Medical Device Business License" issued by the State Drug Administration before they can operate legally.
However, the Beijing News reporter found that for consumer-grade genetic testing, whether it is standards or supervision, it seems to be lacking.
The "Investigation of the Current Situation of Commercial Genetic Testing and Suggestions on Legal Regulation" mentioned that in terms of industry standards, genetic testing presents a relatively chaotic market state, including consumer-grade genetic testing, which is difficult to naturally form an industry standard. Some of the personnel who compare the sequencing results and make recommendations have the qualification of "health manager" certified by the Ministry of Human and Social Resources, and some of them are only trained by sequencing service companies and are familiar with the "package" comparison and analysis process provided by them.
In January 2022, the "Legal Regulation of Commercial Genetic Testing" published by the journal "China Health Legal System" mentioned that diagnostic-grade genetic testing is supervised by the State Food and Drug Administration, and qualified products can obtain approval from the Food and Drug Administration. However, there is no strict regulatory basis or industry standard for consumer-grade genetic testing, and the development is not mature.
The article mentions that in 2014, the State Food and Drug Administration and the National Health and Family Planning Commission jointly issued a notice requiring that no medical institution shall carry out the clinical application of gene sequencing before the relevant access standards and management norms are introduced, but there is no policy constraint on commercial genetic testing for non-clinical application for detecting health risks.
Huang Shangzhi said that genetic testing is used in the medical field to supervise more, but commercial testing institutions are generally commercially registered, which is different from clinical testing that requires approval from the health department.
The "Legal Regulation of Commercial Genetic Testing" also points out that due to the lack of legal norms and prohibitions, it has led to problems such as low entry barriers and industry chaos. There are no clear access conditions for commercial genetic testing, which means that the "industry barriers" for providing genetic testing services to the public are low, or even no constraints at all, so that there is great uncertainty about how to ensure the accuracy and validity of their test results.
In addition, the entire industry of commercial genetic testing has not formed a systematic and systematic testing standard, which will inevitably affect the authenticity and accuracy of test results, and the rights of consumers cannot be effectively protected.
In terms of consumer rights, Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary-general of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, said that for ordinary consumers, genetic testing has a certain threshold, and relevant institutions should issue the accreditation qualifications of authoritative departments or authoritative institutions when publicizing, and truly and accurately indicate the necessary information such as clinical data, relevant testing personnel qualifications and testing project qualifications to consumers to prove that it has the effect it promotes, otherwise it is suspected of false publicity.
(Wu Jia is a pseudonym in the article)
Duty Editor Gu Li plus minus
Part of the content of this article was first published from the Beijing News official account "Peeling Onion People"
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