by Rachel Chan

NEW service touted as Singapore's first DNA test to predict kids' talents is barely three months old, but it has already raised some eyebrows.

Called Kids Innate Talent Genetic Discovery, it was brought in by local health-marketing services firm DNA Dynasty, whose contracted laboratory is Shanghai Biochip in Pudong, China.

It also offers the DNA Diseases Susceptibility Test, which it claims can identify up to 100 diseases that one could potentially inherit genetically.

The firm will be officially launched only on Nov 15, but 90 people have already been tested, among whom 20 took the Genetic Discovery Test, said chief executive officer Johnner Tan.

Located at New Bridge Road, DNA Dynasty joins firms in countries such as Iceland, Britain and the United States in offering genetic testing.

Dr Y.M Wong, who runs an anti-ageing management practice at Paragon Medical Centre, is a doctor who recommends his patients to DNA Dynasty to complement his treatment. "My patients are put on a stricter programme for disease-prevention if they are discovered to be susceptible to a certain gene," he said.

According to the firm's flyer, the Genetic Discovery Test can identify up to 33 genetic traits, such as intelligence, emotional quotient (EQ) and entrepreneurship.

Some, like businessman Lau, 44, have sent his kids for the Genetic Discovery test to "save money". He said: "Now I know my one-year-old will be good at business. He has high EQ and leadership skills.

"My older child, who's three, will be good in science and can perform well as an engineer. With this knowledge, I know how to develop their talents without wasting time sending them for different enrichment programmes."

However, Professor Peter Scambler, a human geneticist at the University College of London's Institute of Child Health, said he was "immediately sceptical" about the test when contacted by my paper yesterday.

"On an individual basis, it is not possible to identify whether a child would be predisposed to possess certain talents. One must also keep in mind that a gene accounts for only 2 to 3 per cent of the variation in, say, athletic performance," he said over the phone.

Already in 2004, controversy erupted when an Australian- based biotechnology company developed a DNA test which, it claimed, could identify a child's sporting potential.

Dr Andy Miah, a bioethics lecturer at the University of Paisley in Scotland and the author of Genetically Modified Athletes, told The Times: "By using gene tests for sporting aptitude, children might be dissuaded from sports they enjoy, simply because somebody has decided that they will never be a great performer."

Yet Ms Sally Soo, managing director of DNA Dynasty, remains unfazed. She said: "It's been proven that Jamaican runners are faster than their counterparts of different nationalities because of their genes.

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"I believe that a 1-per-cent variation makes a world of difference between two people."

DNA TESTS IN A SWAB

WHAT IS DNA?
DNA, short for deoxyribonucleic acid, contains the genetic information all living organisms and some viruses rely on for development and function.

HOW IS THE TEST TAKEN?
Cheek cells, which contain one's DNA, are collected on a buccal cheek swab by swiping the stick repeatedly up and down one's cheek walls for about half a minute. The Susceptibility Test costs $3,228, and the Genetic Discovery Test, $1,788.

WHAT YOU COULD FIND OUT
Susceptibility Test: A list of diseases one is genetically prone to out of 100, such as breast cancer, osteoporosis, prostate cancer, Crohn's disease. It comes with a guidebook on how to minimise risk.

Genetic Discovery Test: A list of genetic traits indicating your child's "innate talents", such as endurance, EQ, and musical and athletic abilities.

rachchan@sph.com.sg

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