DNA Commodification and Genetic Capital: The New Gold Rush

 DNA Commodification and Genetic Capital: The New Gold Rush

By Kirstin Halliday

Hello, and welcome to the high-stakes capitalist casino of the genetic gold rush, where your DNA is the new & hottest currency. The promises of genetic research in this bright new world—the ability to eradicate diseases, improve human skills, even extend life—are not merely scientific breakthroughs; they are the newest goods to be bought, sold, and traded in the marketplace of biological destiny. A frightening concern, though, remains as we marvel at these developments: Are we unintentionally entering a dystopian future in which your genetic make-up dictates not only your health but also your status in society, your potential, and your value?

Karl Marx's shadow looms large in the stark light of this genetic capitalism, pulsing with legitimate, historical warnings about exploitation and inequality. Marx foresaw a society in which access to the tools of production and wealth created divisions. In today's world, the means of production have undergone a radical transformation, involving not solely the proprietorship of factories but also the building blocks of life itself.

Enter the age of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests, the vanguard of the genetic gold rush. These tests offer insights into potential health problems, a look into your ancestry, and even a peek into your future for a seemingly small cost. The hitch is that your most valuable asset—your genetic information—becomes a commodity in this transaction, ready to be exploited. For instance, in a 2018 study, researchers found that 71 percent of DTC GT companies used genetic information for internal purposes aside from relaying results to consumers. In the same study, 62 percent reported using the data for internal research and development, but 78 percent sold de-identified data to third parties without additional consent from the consumers. Genetic information is particularly sensitive because it is uniquely identifiable, even if it is aggregated or de-identified (which just means anonymous). A sizable amount of the third parties that are buying data are pharmaceutical companies. The lead DTC GT company, 23andMe, struck a 300 million dollar deal in 2018 with pharma giant, GlaxoSmithKline. This deal granted GSK the right to access and analyze data to develop new drugs and inform how patients are chosen for clinical trials. 23andMe has partnerships with other big pharmaceutical companies as well, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, Pfizer, and Genentech. 23andMe is not the only company that has these partnerships, most (Ancestry, Helix, etc) do. 

This isn't just business; it's a profound ethical quagmire, where privacy, consent, and the risk of genetic discrimination are bartered away on the altar of profit. More than just a capitalist fantasy, this scenario is a reflection of our core anxieties about the direction genetic science may take. It imagines a society in which the wealthy, equipped with their designer genes, stand on one side of the genetic divide while the others are left staring across it, their destinies chained to their chromosomes, and their natural DNA deemed inferior.

Furthermore, the socioeconomic determinants of health, such as poverty, availability to healthy foods, and sanitary living conditions, are the true causes of health disparities and risk being overshadowed by this genetic disparity. We run the risk of relieving society of its obligation to address these fundamental problems in our hurry to geneticize health, which will support the fallacy that individual health is a function of personal choice rather than a social failure.

The most thought-provoking idea, though, is this: What if we were brave enough to imagine a future unfettered by genetic capitalism? In this future, access to genetic medicines and upgrades isn't based on your financial situation, but rather on the sheer fact that you are human, and genetic research benefits everyone, not just the highest bidder. Here we are in a classic Robert Frost scenario of the option between two roads; on one route, genetic wealth will divide the future and create a dystopian society reminiscent of science fiction. Conversely, there is a future in which genetic advancements are used to develop society and eliminate barriers rather than create new ones. It is up to us to decide what to do as we continue on in the genetic gold rush. Will we submit to the dictates of genetic capitalism or will we insist on a new understanding of genetic research that is based on justice, equity, and the greater good? The choice is ours to make, and the stakes could not be higher. Let's not gamble away our genetic future. 





























Works Cited

Brodwin, Erin. “DNA-Testing Companies Like 23andMe Sell Your Data. How to Delete It.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 25 July 2018, https://www.businessinsider.com/dna-testing-delete-your-data-23andme-ancestry-2018-7.

Hazel, James, and Christopher Slobogin. “Who Knows What, and When?: A Survey of the Privacy Policies Proffered by U.S. Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Companies.” SSRN, Vanderbilt Law School, 24 Apr. 2018, papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3165765#paper-citations-widget. 

Marx, Karl. Das Kapital. Edited by Friedrich Engels, Regnery Publishing, 1996.

West, Kathleen McGlone et al. “Genomics, Health Disparities, and Missed Opportunities for the Nation's Research Agenda.” JAMA vol. 317,18 (2017): 1831-1832. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.3096

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