Personal genome project participants get first look at their DNA

By Carey Goldberg, Globe Staff

Nothing shocking.

That is the upshot of the first release of genetic information to the "PGP-10," the team of 10 prominent volunteers who plan to soon post their DNA sequences and medical records on a public website.

The group, assembled by Harvard Medical School genetics professor George Church, held a press conference at the medical school today to announce their final decisions about whether they would go through with their plans for genetic self-exposure.

All said that they would. Several also spoke briefly about the initial peeks into their genes, and said they had gleaned some interesting genetic tidbits but nothing earthshaking at this point.

Asked at the press conference whether any of the volunteers had received any dire genetic revelations, Church said, "As far as I know at this stage, which is very preliminary, there is nothing shocking of that nature. In fact, we’re all shockingly healthy in general, and the genetics did not undermine that."

Dr. John Halamka, the chief information officer at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center who is already blogging about his findings, said he was interested to find out that he was at heightened risk for a hereditary neurological disorder. His father has multiple sclerosis, he said, and is already volunteering for the project to help explore whether there may be a link.

Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker said his genes suggested he was at heightened risk for irregular menstrual periods -- "I’m not worried about that" -- and to be born prematurely -- "a little late for that, also."

Rosalynn Gill, chief scientific officer of Sciona, a personal genetics company based in Colorado, said she was surprised to discover that she carried a gene for hemochromatosis, a disease that involves abnormal iron accumulation, because she tends to be anemic, “so my physical manifestation is quite the opposite of my genetic” findings.

Church emphasized that the initial data release is just the beginning of much more to come; he said that the project has 5,000 potential volunteers “in the queue.” Church hopes that making genetic data public for large numbers of people will aid researchers looking for links between genes and various traits and diseases.