It was recently announced that the Cleveland Clinic and 23andMe are teaming up to seek out volunteers for a study where patients will be asked to provide a saliva sample for DNA analysis and agree to participate in online surveys about their experience with Parkinson’s Disease to study the interactions between genomics and the disease. I wondered, how powerful is the draw of this kind of personal philanthrophy, when the donation (be it a donation of tissue or participation) is of the self rather than of the pocketbook? And to arrive at such a decision, what are the motivations, reservations, and implications?
