Is it medicine, or is it not? In May, the University of California, Berkeley unveiled its "Bring Your Genes To Cal" program. The idea was, Berkeley's 5,500 or so incoming freshman would have the option to have their DNA tested for three particular characteristics: Their metabolism of folate, tolerance of lactose, and metabolism of alcohol. Though the program was limited, it raised privacy hackles. And now the State of California has ruled: This is a medical test, and Cal can't do it unless it's in a clinical setting.
Mark Schlissel, UC Berkeley's dean of biological sciences and an architect of the DNA program, said he disagreed with the state Department of Public Health's ruling that the genetic testing required advance approval from physicians and should be done only by specially-licensed clinical labs, not by university technicians. The campus could not find labs willing to do the work and probably could not afford it anyway, Schlissel said. He also contended that the project deserved an exemption from those rules because it was an educational exercise [Los Angeles Times].
