They were starting to look like the next big thing in biotech. Personal genetics testing companies have been popping up in the last few years, offering regular citizens the chance to pay about a thousand bucks to see their own genomes. The companies say this service can give people insight into their chances of developing inherited diseases and can cast light upon their ancestry, and consumers have begun to plunk down their money. But now there's a hitch. Regulators in California sent "cease and desist" letters to 13 companies last week, ordering them to stop offering testing to California residents until they can prove that they have the proper clinical laboratory license, and, more importantly, that each genetics test was ordered by a doctor.
The [Public Health Department] said it began investigating gene-testing companies after receiving complaints from consumers "about the accuracy and cost of genetic testing advertised on the ...
