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WITH the dawn of full genome sequencing for $1000 or less will come the need to protect our genetic privacy like never before.

So warns the US , which is calling for a ban on unauthorised sequencing – citing Â鶹´«Ã½‘s 2009 investigation into genome hacking as evidence of a threat (Â鶹´«Ã½, 28 March 2009, p 6).

The most obvious threat to privacy comes from breaches in the security of computer systems that hold DNA sequence data.

But our investigation pointed to another danger: surreptitious sequencing. An item such as a used drinking glass could be obtained by a third party, who might then employ commercially available services to extract DNA from the rim and analyse it to judge a person’s genetic predisposition to disease.

“A used drinking glass could be obtained and analysed to judge a person’s genetic predisposition to disease”

The new report comes down firmly against such activities, concluding: “policies should protect individual privacy by prohibiting unauthorized whole genome sequencing without the consent of the individual from whom the sample came.”