It reminds me of that movie in which Tom Cruise starred; “Minority Report”.
Google Wants Your DNA
GeneWatch UK has published a new history of the human genome. Of particular interest are the vested and well-funded parties who see a pot of gold in your DNA. Of particular interest are the following points:
England’s Database: Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline lobbied in England to build a massive database of everyone’s medical records including the DNA of newborns for genomic sequencing. The system is called the Spine.
False Claims: Food and pharmaceutical industries have promoted false claims that human genome sequencing will predict big killer diseases, in an effort to expand the market for their products.
Google Lobbies: Google and its gene test company 23andMe are lobbying both the UK and the US to use DNA and medical records for personalized marketing. The food industry envisions genomic sequencing at supermarkets with targeted marketing to these individuals.
Google Wants Baby DNA: Google and it’s gene testing companies are seeking access to the DNA of newborns taken by government at birth and stored without parent knowledge or consent.
“Early Health”: The concept of “early health” is described in an industry paper. It supports screening people’s genomes combined with “tailored prevention programmes” with industry bypassing medical professionals.
Google in Deep: Google invests in a second DNA testing company, Navigenics.
Big Business: Steve Burill & Co (who is working in Minnesota with the Mayo Clinic) “describes a vision for US healthcare reform in which people have their genomes sequenced in Walmart stores, smart cards include electronic health records and DNA , and there is a near-doubling of the pharmaceuticals market by 2020, including the creation of big new markets in ‘wellness’ (the ‘prediction and prevention’ of disease).”
U.S. Government Pushes Sequencing of Humans: U.S. National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins argues for everyone to have their DNA sequenced and personalized suggestions on lifestyles to be provided.
http://www.genewatch.org/uploads/f03c6d66a9b354535738483c1c3d49e4/HGPhistory_1.pdf