The current focus is on identifying individuals at high genetic risk of disease for risk stratification. This information could be useful in decisions about participation in screening programmes, lifestyle modifications, or preventive treatment, when available and appropriate. PRS may also be relevant at different points along disease diagnosis and course (Fig. 2). An important consideration is the need to avoid presenting a false impression of genetic determinism (the notion that genes alone define biology). This could otherwise detrimentally impact personal choices, harming physical and mental well-being (e.g. diet, exercise, lifestyle), and possibly even education, employment, or family planning. Research on measuring the beliefs of the public in genetic determinism [41] should expand from single-gene disorders to include polygenic prediction of complex diseases. The widespread interest in PRS is illustrated by their use by direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies; for example, 23andMe now offers polygenic risk scores for T2D. The Polygenic Score Catalog (http://pgscatalog.org/) curates data and tables extracted from polygenic risk scores for common disorders, capturing performance metrics of the PRS developed.
