ABSTRACT
Genetic contributions to disease risk typically reflect the actions of multiple genes, making positive diagnosis of increased genetic risk extraordinarily difficult. Genetic testing has or will soon have the power to be able to identify individuals who possess genetic risk markers predictive of their individual expression of complex traits. As quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping strategies have begun to identify the location of genes influencing such traits, it is necessary to consider how such knowledge might be applied, and with what consequences. Much attention has been paid of late to the financial consequences of information derived from genetic testing. Scientists engaged in studies seeking to map complex traits face several practical issues every day. Analysis of the ethical concerns raised by genetic mapping may take on a different flavor depending upon whether the QTLs are represented by risk markers or by functional genes underlying a QTL.
