UC Berkeley Asking Incoming Students For DNA

[Liberal_in_LA]

UC Berkeley Asking Incoming Students For DNA

Updated: 10:06 am PDT May 18, 2010

BERKELEY, Calif. -- UC Berkeley is adding something a little different this year in its welcome package -- cotton swabs for a DNA sample.

In the past, incoming freshman and transfer students have received a rather typical welcome book from the College of Letters and Science's "On the Same Page" program, but this year the students will be asked for more.

The students will be asked to voluntarily submit a DNA sample. The cotton swabs will come with two bar code labels. One label will be put on the DNA sample and the other is kept for the students own records.

The confidential process is being overseen by Jasper Rine, a campus professor of Genetics and Development Biology, who says the test results will help students make decisions about their diet and lifestyle.

Once the DNA sample is sent in and tested, it will show the student’s ability to tolerate alcohol, absorb folic acid and metabolize lactose.

The results of the test will be put in a secure online database where students will be able to retrieve their results by using their bar code.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/23592937/detail.html

[LLStarks]

1. I don't like this. nt

[notadmblnd]

3. I don;t either. I certainly hope giving DNA is not a requirement for admission.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. I bet literacy is a requirement.

The bastards.

[ebayfool]

13. !

:spray:

[Cant trust em]

8. Article says that it's voluntary. nt

[Duer 157099]

2. As long as the process remains completely anonymous, I strongly support it

In fact, I'd like the same, where can I get one of these anonymous tests???

(but of course, the fly in the ointment is how to know that the sample submitted is actually from the student and not, say, their roommate....)

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. "The results of the test will be put in a secure online database" HA!

How long before there is an accident release of info?

[Lance_Boyle]

10. it's not anonymized, it's de-identified

The key linking sample/result to student is maintained, and Berkeley being a public institution, likely discoverable.

Bad, bad idea all around.

[Duer 157099]

11. Then it SUCKs and badly

Crap. I wish they knew how to really anonymize this, but I see the pitfalls too.

I guess it will remain thus until they can actually devise a real home test kit where the results can be obtained at home, like a pregnancy test.

[Lance_Boyle]

12. They can't really anonymize it because the incoming freshman class is a small sample.

But keeping the key to decrypt identities is just beyond the pale. Better to leave it at "this sample comes from one of 2000 (or however many) incoming freshmen at Berkeley in 2011, but we can't find out who" than "this sample comes from (checking link database) DUer 157099."

Still, my major beef with this is that the IRB would permit such blatantly coercive recruiting for samples. Why not wait until the students are settled in and then seek samples? Why insist that it be included in an orientation packet? Some human subject researchers are completely tone-deaf. They are SUPPOSED to be held in check by the IRB, there to protect research subjects' rights. The IRB at Berkeley has failed miserably in this instance. Which makes me wonder if Berkeley hasn't already contracted out its IRB responsibility to a for-profit outfit like Western IRB that rubber stamps research proposals for a not-so-modest fee.

[applegrove]

14. I agree. Sounds like a great idea.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

4. A dystopian nightmare in the making

Imagine people with less than benign interests exploiting such a mechanism.

I have enough people clamouring to legislate my uterus, I'd prefer to keep them out of my DNA if it's all the same, thank-you very much.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. They're trying to sap our precious bodily fluids.

You'll notice it's that pinko commie reeducation camp.

[Lance_Boyle]

9. I cannot believe any IRB would approve of such a collection practice.

It's fine to solicit contributions for research from students, but not as part of the welcome packet. That's just far too coercive, even if the fine print says "optional."

The students are HIGHLY unlikely to benefit from the research, and are much more likely to be harmed in the future should their NON-ANONYMOUS results ever get out.

I'd refuse my admission and wipe my ass with one of the swabs so they knew damn well why. heads ought to roll at Berkeley for this. Starting with the IRB. Of course, they probably outsourced their IRB responsibility to Western IRB, or one of the other for-profit rubber-stamp boards. Bastards.