Genetic Testing Registry
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released a notice that they would creating a public database, or registry, that would help consumers, as well as researchers and health care providers, better understand genetic testing. Since there are currently more than 1,600 genetic tests available with no central or collective source of data to understand these tests, the NIH feels the genetic testing registry (GTR) is aimed “to enhance access to information about the availability, validity, and usefulness of genetic tests.”
The database is expected to be released in 2011 and will consist of data provided by the “providers of genetic tests” on a voluntary basis.
The GTR page is currently a little short on information but will likely fill out as details begin to emerge.
For an independent and detailed explanation of this recent news, there is an interesting post on genomeweb and a good article and overview at the Genomics Law Report.
