BETHESDA, Md., March 18 (UPI) -- The National Institutes of Health says it is developing a public database of information about the availability of genetic test providers.
The NIH said the database will be available to researchers, consumers, healthcare providers and others to "enhance access to information about the availability, validity and usefulness of genetic tests."
Officials said currently there are more than 1,600 genetic tests available to patients and consumers, but there is no single public resource that provides detailed information about them. The NIH said its new registry is designed to fill that gap.
"The need for this database reflects how far we have come in the last 10 years," said NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins. "The registry will help consumers and health care providers determine the best options for genetic testing, which is becoming more and more common and accessible. Our combined expertise in biomedical research and managing such large databases makes NIH the ideal home for the registry."
The registry is expected to become available next year.
More information about the Genetic Testing Registry is available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gtr.
