The principle notions used in the marketing of DTC genetic tests are autonomy, empowerment, Seliciclib prevention, convenience, and privacy. One of the main aspects outlined in the vision of these companies is that individuals want to play a greater role in the process of obtaining, storing and protecting their

genetic information. They promote the notion that avoiding the traditional encounter with a healthcare professional will result in a better guarantee of privacy, at least with respect to insurance companies and employers. Moreover, DTC genetic tests allow consumers to collect their own saliva samples (from which DNA is then extracted) from the comfort of their own home. For some tests, the companies click here argue that it eliminates the hassle of scheduling an appointment with a physician and it eliminates an appointment fee that would otherwise be billed in addition to the laboratory fee (Berg and Fryer-Edwards 2008). Companies also allege that this model will allow for the increased access of genetic technologies for all consumers. Furthermore, companies advance that this provides “the foundation for truly personalized medicine in which individuals are empowered not only with self-knowledge of their genetic risk, but

also with the ability to take informed actions to prevent disease and preserve health” (Ledley 2002). “No one is going to invest in a start-up company, or a large-scale scientific endeavor, such as the Human Genome Project, unless they genuinely believe it has the potential to yield significant returns in a defined timescale” (Nightingale and Martin 2004). The same is true for direct-to-consumer genetic testing. The emergence of this field has rested heavily on the creation of high expectations in order to get access to researchers, venture capital, and customers. Now that companies are operating, it is a question of convincing the public that they need to buy these tests. Among many others, the following aspects will be important determinants of consumer

acceptance: the price, their belief, and understanding of marketing messages and whether this commercial product responds to their expectations and needs. Success and failure of the DTC market Presently, little Immune system is known about the actual number of genetic tests sold by DTC genetic testing companies. A few studies have shown that only a relatively small percentage of the US population is aware of the availability of direct-to-consumer genetic tests and only a fraction of these have purchased such tests (Goddard et al. 2007, 2009; Kolor et al. 2009). In a recent study by Wright and Gregory-Jones, the authors attempted to estimate the size of the DTC whole genome scan market using the Internet traffic on three companies’ websites as a proxy for their commercial activity (Wright and Gregory-Jones 2010).