Future for genetic screening in employment

More than 600 UK business leaders were questioned for the Astellas Innovation Debate 2015, which brought together a panel of world-renowned experts at The Royal Institution of Great Britain to discuss the implications of the revolutions in DNA and data for our health.

With the price of full DNA testing falling, and in anticipation of personalised medicines fine-tuned to a patient’s genetic make-up, one in four (24%) of the UK businesses questioned said they were likely to extend health screening into genetic testing.

“Genetic screening of employees may be more of a Pandora’s box than a panacea

Helena Kennedy

UK businesses could soon offer employees a complete readout of their genetic blueprint, and hence unprecedented insight into their current and future health.

But amidst all the excitement, Helena Kennedy, vice president of the Patients Association and former chairman of the Human Genetics Committee, urges businesses to consider the wider implications, suggesting that “genetic screening of employees may be more of a Pandora’s box than a panacea”.

Of employers who said that their business would be unlikely to offer genetic screening to employees, 43% said they might reconsider their view in the future if better legislation were introduced to protect the rights of employers (19%) and employees (24%).

Of those surveyed, 16% said they would reconsider their view if the results of genetic testing could serve to reduce the cost of key personnel insurance, while a further 16% said that businesses would need access to advice on dealing with employees found to be at higher genetic risk of developing serious illness.

Only 5% said they might choose to offer genetic screening if their business could access genetic data from test results.

A fifth of UK businesses admit that knowledge of an employee’s genetic risk of disease is likely to lead to discrimination

European legislation prohibits businesses from gaining access to their employees’ genetic data, and most businesses (72%) support this principle.

Despite that, one in five bosses (22%) admitted that an employee who revealed his/her greater genetic risk of serious illness would consequently also run a greater risk of redundancy and become less eligible for promotion.

Kennedy, who successfully pushed for a moratorium on access to genetic records for insurance companies and persuaded the government to make it a criminal offence to test DNA without an individual’s consent, said: “Of course it’s a testament to mankind’s ingenuity that genetics and technology are combining to bring the prospect of personalised medicine much closer. But knowing the facts about our genes can also bring challenges. For example, our genetic information could be misused by insurers, who could over-interpret the information in our genes, wrongly suspect we are susceptible to some disease, and so not provide us with the kind of insurance we need.

“Similarly, if an employee shared some genetic information with his or her boss that indicated a higher risk of, say, cancer or a neurological disease- as this survey shows - the employee would be at higher risk of discrimination in the workplace in the form of redundancy or being passed over for promotion. This in turn leaves the employer vulnerable to accusations of discrimination. And then, on a personal level, employees might well need professional support if they become distressed at the prospect of a disease that they might or might not develop.

“Some US technology companies are offering employees DNA screening to identify the risk of cancers, and holding out the promise of personalised treatment based on their genetic make-up should they need it. However, I would urge UK businesses not to follow suit - certainly not without thinking very carefully about the wider implications to them and their employees.”

Likewise, Ken Jones, president of Astellas Pharma EMEA, sponsors and organisers of the Astellas Innovation Debate, added: “Astellas is widely recognised as an employer of choice in the pharmaceutical sector. We offer extensive health and wellbeing packages to our employees but we would not offer widespread genetic screening unless we knew there was a real health benefit.

“In another survey for the Astellas Innovation Debate, we found that half the population would consider a genetic test to discover whether they were at higher risk of developing a serious illness such as cancer, but 40% would not undergo testing for fear the results would leave them feeling depressed and anxious.”

Currently, UK citizens have the chance to discover genetic information via the 23andMe Personal Genome Service kit (see image).

The 23andMe kit costs £125 and lets users explore more about their health and ancestry.