WASHINGTON _ Millions of people are doing it. They spit into tubes and get their DNA analyzed. Testing companies are mushrooming, selling products to screen for diseases, connect customers to lost relatives or entertain people with the possibility they share some Neanderthal DNA.
Equity firms are pouring fortunes into these companies, not just because of the testing kits they sell but the personal information they collect, which can be shared and monetized. It's all happening amid a patchwork of laws and regulations that predate the growth of direct-to-consumer DNA testing.
"There is a Wild West aspect to all of this," said Erin Murphy, a New York University law professor who specializes in genetics and is concerned about the privacy implications. Many people don't realize that "it just takes one person in a family to reveal the genetic information of everyone in the family," she said.
