By John Carroll
October 9, 2008 — 11:16am ET

One of the big questions posed by the development of new genetic tests is how people will react when they learn more about their risk of disease. And now the Scripps Translational Science Institute will set out to determine the answer. Researchers will try and determine if the data will persuade people to live healthier lives, spur anxiety or lead to the inappropriate use of healthcare services.

Or if it has no effect at all.

“There has been a lot of conjecture about the potential benefits to individuals and how they may change their behaviors” after getting personal DNA data, Kathy Hudson, director of the Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University, tells the Wall Street Journal.

Navigenics, Affymetrix and Microsoft will fund the study. Navigenics will provide its test to participants for a fraction of its current price. Affymetrix will run the genome scan and Microsoft Health Vault will store the data.

– see the release from Scripps
– read the article in the Wall Street Journal

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Knome to sequence 20 genomes this year
Genetic testing advances as insurers balk (Jan. 2007)