Perfect DNA

Description

The novel 'Perfect DNA' is set in the mid 2030's. The main protagonist is John Malcolm, a forty-something average-joe accountant based in London. The sudden death of his father has got him thinking about his own health. On a whim he signs up for a genetic test. This test includes an extensive personality, environmental and genetic survey that predicts fairly accurately the life expectancy of the customer (assuming that no accidents happen).The novel follows John and his wife Jessica after they get widely different test results. John's prognosis is brilliant. Jessica's is the reverse. Traumatised, they seek advice from a genetic counsellor, Professor Riera, who is overwhelmed when he discovers that John has the greatest life score prediction he has ever heard of. He immediately sees the business potential of marketing John's personal genetic information to pharmaceutical corporations for gene therapy. Repulsed by the idea, but with his marriage on the line and no money to remedy Jessica's genetic flaws, John is cornered into considering selling his own genetic identity in order to prolong his wife's life and ultimately save her from a terrible death.The story touches on the topics of privacy, the dilemma of what makes one's personal genetic code or health score 'perfect' and the consequences of access to such scores by insurers, employers and governments.An introductory chapter gives a very basic historic perspective on the development of the genetic/genomics technology, the assumptions the author makes and motivations for writing this book.