Customized gene tests for Indians are available now

MUMBAI: A single term seems to provide the answer to many health problems these days. Want to know what will cause you to age? Want to know how you will react to statins? Want to know if you are extra-susceptible to tuberculosis or cancer? Genetic testing or DNA tests, we are told, will tell us all.
Genetic testing is growing fast as a sector in itself in India. Every few months, start-up companies as well as established ones come up with an increasing number of tests – from a person's entire genome data to his/her predisposition to various diseases and his/her genetic compatibility to a to-be spouse.After all, such tests are known to confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine a person's chance of developing or passing on a genetic disorder.
This week, Singapore-based Global Gene Corporation began operations in Mumbai promising tests customized for the Indian genotype. "Our tests are unique because the typical tests being offered in India are based on Caucasian populations and their datasets," said chairman Sumit Jamuar. In other words, the results from their laboratories will be based on data compared to facts drawn from genetic mutations among Indians instead of Caucasians or Japanese. "It will hence be more appropriate for Indians," he said.
Another company which has started operations in Mumbai, Finlinea Healthwits from Italy, offers gene tests to determine factors that will cause you to age. Depending on the test results, consumers will be given customized supplements to beat the aging process. "Our USP is customized anti-aging solution as per the predisposition of a person's DNA. It is a new science with the potential to help every person," said Finlinea's CEO.
The new entrants have not only brought variety, but brought about a reduction in prices as well. Sandeep Saxena from Acton, one of the first entrant in the genome market in India in 2011, said prices of tests have fallen by almost a half. "Our sector is on fire. Prices have crashed. What we did for Rs 40,000 a couple of years back is on offer at Rs 25,000," he said, adding that costs will drop further within a few months due to technological advancements.
Saxena says all the tests results are adapted to an Indian database. "Many companies these days offer results based on single nucleotide polymorphisms or genetic mutations. These are not the same as entire genome studies," he said.
But how dependable are these genetic tests?
The New York Times carried an article in December 2013 about a reporter who received three different results from three companies.
Dr Aabha Nagral, who treats many genetically inherited diseases, said that the focus right now seems commercial. "Just because a person carries a genetic mutation it is no guarantee that the person will get cancer. Not all diseases need such screening tests. These tests can only lead to paranoia," said Dr Nagral, adding that only people with a family history of diseases would benefit from such tests.
Dr Aniruddha Malpani, director of HELP Library, said, "These tests and technologies may be highly 'advanced' - but right now, given their limitation, they are just sophisticated and expensive quackery designed to take patients for a ride. The truth is that there is very little we can do to affect the natural history of over 95% of patients with cancer. In spite of the 'War Against Cancer', we have made very few advances in the last 50 years."