In the news

Sciona Limited, a small company based in Hampshire, is offering, for a subscription fee of £120 a year, to compile an individually-tailored health "Action Plan" based on information from a client's genetic profile. The company claims that by analysing specific polymorphisms in DNA extracted from a mouth swab sample, and combining this with information about lifestyle, it can advise an individual "about their metabolism, how it reacts to different foods, what to eat more of, what to eat less of or what to avoid altogether". The DNA sample will be retained and re-analysed so that the Action Plan can be updated as new information becomes available, the company says. The concept behind Sciona's service - individually tailored healthcare based on an understanding of gene-environment interactions - is the Holy Grail of those who predict a future era in which genetics will make a major contribution both to prevention and to medical care. Most experts, however, think that current knowledge is inadequate to make this vision a reality for at least another 10 years. It would be interesting to know exactly what Sciona's analysis consists of, and what scientific evidence backs it up.