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genetic testing

Jeremy Nottingham (bottom right) sits for a family photo with his parents, Junius and Sharon, and sister Briana. Junius Nottingham Jr. hide caption

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Junius Nottingham Jr.

Testing your genes for cancer risk is way cheaper now — and it could save your life

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Even though the sisters hope a successful drug treatment for their family's form of dementia will emerge, they're now planning for a future without one. "There's a kind of sorrow about Alzheimer's disease that, as strange as it seems, there's a comfort in being in the presence of people who understand it," Ward says. Juan Diego Reyes for NPR hide caption

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Juan Diego Reyes for NPR

With early Alzheimer's in the family, these sisters decided to test for the gene

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Michelle Kuppersmith's doctor recommended a bone marrow biopsy after suspecting she had a rare blood disorder. Though the biopsy was done by an in-network provider at an in-network hospital, Kuppersmith learned she was on the hook for $2,400 for out-of-network genetic profiling. Shelby Knowles for KHN hide caption

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Shelby Knowles for KHN

Myriad Genetics is among a handful of companies that make a genetic test to help doctors choose psychiatric medicines for patients. Evidence that the tests are effective has been called "inconclusive." Myriad Genetics hide caption

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Myriad Genetics

Jeri Seidman and her daughter Hannah lounge at their home in Charlottesville, Va. Hannah is a patient in a genetic risk study about Type 1 diabetes. Carlos Bernate for NPR hide caption

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Carlos Bernate for NPR

An Experimental Genetic Test Gives Early Warning For Kids At Risk Of Type 1 Diabetes

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In the alleged scheme, Medicare beneficiaries were offered, at no cost to them, genetic testing to estimate their cancer risk. Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images hide caption

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Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

U.S. Justice Department Charges 35 People In Fraudulent Genetic Testing Scheme

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Researchers are hoping to learn how to effectively convey information about people's risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, a dementia still without a cure. Thanasis Zovoilis/Getty Images hide caption

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Thanasis Zovoilis/Getty Images

A Genetic Test That Reveals Alzheimer's Risk Can Be Cathartic Or Distressing

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A decade ago, it seemed inevitable that every newborn would get a complete gene scan. But there are technical challenges and practical concerns. Brooke Pennington/Getty Images hide caption

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Brooke Pennington/Getty Images

The Promises And Pitfalls Of Gene Sequencing For Newborns

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Even if a genetic test could reliably predict obesity risk, would people make effective use of the information? eyecrave/Vetta/Getty Images hide caption

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eyecrave/Vetta/Getty Images

How Helpful Would A Genetic Test For Obesity Risk Be?

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Shara and Robert Watkins hold their 5-month-old daughter, Kaiya, in their home in San Mateo, Calif., just after she had woken up from an afternoon nap. Lindsey Moore/KQED hide caption

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Lindsey Moore/KQED

Prenatal Testing Can Ease Minds Or Heighten Anxieties

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The results of genetic testing — whether done for health reasons or ancestry searches — can be used by insurance underwriters in evaluating an application for life insurance, or a disability or long-term-care policy. Science Photo Library RF/Getty Images hide caption

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Science Photo Library RF/Getty Images

Jose and Elaine Belardo's lives were upended last year when he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Alex Smith/KCUR hide caption

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Alex Smith/KCUR

How Soon Is Soon Enough To Learn You Have Alzheimer's?

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Rita Steyn has a family history of cancer so she ordered a home genetic testing kit to see if she carried certain genetic mutations that increase the risk for the disease. Courtesy of Rita Steyn hide caption

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Courtesy of Rita Steyn

Results Of At-Home Genetic Tests For Health Can Be Hard To Interpret

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CRISPR and other gene technology is exciting, but shouldn't be seen as a panacea for treating illness linked to genetic mutations, says science columnist and author Carl Zimmer. It's still early days for the clinical applications of research. Westend61/Getty Images hide caption

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Westend61/Getty Images

A Science Writer Explores The 'Perversions And Potential' Of Genetic Tests

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A sample of saliva can unlock details about a person's genetic makeup. Andrew Brookes/Cultura RF/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Brookes/Cultura RF/Getty Images

POLL: Genealogical Curiosity Is A Top Reason For DNA Tests; Privacy A Concern

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DNA isolated from a small sample of saliva or blood can yield information, fairly inexpensively, about a person's relative risk of developing dozens of diseases or medical conditions. GIPhotoStock/Cultura RF/Getty Images hide caption

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GIPhotoStock/Cultura RF/Getty Images

As mother and daughter, Carmen and Gisele Grayson thought their DNA ancestry tests would be very similar. Boy were they surprised. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

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Meredith Rizzo/NPR

My Grandmother Was Italian. Why Aren't My Genes Italian?

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Kerri De Nies plays with her son, Gregory Mac Phee at their home in San Diego. Gregory tested positive for adrenoleukodystrophy, a rare brain disorder that affects 1 in about 18,000 babies. Roughly 30 percent of boys with the genetic mutation go on to develop the most serious form of the disease. Anna Gorman/KHN hide caption

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Anna Gorman/KHN

Parents Lobby States To Expand Newborn Screening Test For Rare Brain Disorder

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Patients who underwent genetic screenings now fear that documentation of the results in their medical records could lead to problems if a new health law is enacted. Sam Edwards/Caiaimage/Getty Images hide caption

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Sam Edwards/Caiaimage/Getty Images