A Commentary on Commercial Genetic Testing and the Future of the Genetic Counseling Profession

Commercial genetic testing laboratories are increasingly employing genetic counselors. As a result, the role of these or many genetic counselors is shifting from primarily direct patient counseling in clinics and hospitals to more laboratory-centered activities that involve case coordination, customer liaison, variant classification, marketing, and sales. Given the importance of these commercial entities to the genetic counseling profession, this commentary examines the current financial situation of four publicly traded, genetic testing companies. It also explores how the various roles of genetic counselors are likely to be affected by the financial pressures these companies face.