The unprecedented and hotly debated "Bring Your Genes to Cal" program put into place by the University of CA, Berkeley (UCB) for this coming school year's freshmen has encountered a roadblock. The program as the university originally designed it would have provided all participating students with their genetic test results for three common genetic variants (alcohol metabolism, folic acid metabolism, and lactose metabolism). However, earlier this month the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) "insisted that since students would have been given access to their own test results, the academic exercise was not exempt from laws designed to assure the accuracy and quality of diagnostic tests used in providing medical care to patients," wrote UCB rep Robert Sanders in an August 12 media release. As such, students who provide samples for the program will no longer be allowed to see their personal results. Students will be able to view aggregate results only.
UCB disagrees with CDPH's interpretation of its authority over "Bring Your Genes to Cal" but is complying nonetheless. In the August 12th media release, UCB's Mark Schlissel, dean of biological sciences at the College of Letters & Science, is quoted as saying, "We have taken every precaution and are committed to following the letter of the law with regard to any issue, but we believe this is a flawed reading of the statute that raises questions about who has control over teaching at the university, and in the broader sense, who has control over information about our own genes."
This situation highlights the complex nature of individual genetic testing in particular and personalized medicine in general. IVD Technology will continue following UCB's program as the school year begins.