The pet genomics industry is currently booming.  Just as people are getting DNA tests to try to assess their genetic predispositions to disease, many individuals are testing their pets, too.  Is this an option to exercise?  It may very well be, but pet tests are not yet subject to the same regulations as those that analyze human DNA.  According to Lisa Moses, a vet affiliated with the Harvard Medical School in Boston, the international veterinary community needs to have a conversation that includes the testing industry and the scientists. Mutually agreed upon ways of reporting results and test standardizations must be cooperatively considered.  She also suggests that greater transparency is needed in data sharing and testing methodologies.  Dr. Moses and her associate, Elinor Karlsson, Director of Vertebrate Genomics at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, agree that DNA testing can be a valuable tool in assessing a dog’s chance of getting conditions such as cancer and diabetes. But they caution against making premature treatment decisions or preemptively ending a dog’s life based upon DNA tests.  They have concluded that more research is necessary, and by studying dogs, we can help care for our canine companions as well as apply testing results to develop new treatments for humans. 

Source: www.sciencemag.org