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Point-counterpoint. Ethics and genomic incidental findings
McGuire, A. L., Joffe, S., Koenig, B. A., Biesecker, B. B., McCullough, L. B., Blumenthal-Barby, J. S., Caulfield, T., Terry, S. F., & Green, R. C. (2013). Point-counterpoint. Ethics and genomic incidental findings. Science, 340(6136), 1047-8. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1240156
The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) recently issued a statement (1) recommending that all laboratories conducting clinical sequencing seek and report pathogenic and expected pathogenic mutations for a short list of carefully chosen genes and conditions. The recommendations establish a baseline for reporting clinically relevant incidental findings and articulate ethical principles relevant to their disclosure. The ACMG acknowledged that the list will evolve over time and is developing a mechanism for community input (2). This paper focuses on the ethical framework for the recommendations, rather than on the choice of which genes to include on the list.