“If you want to know whether your child was born to be the second (Usain) Bolt who possesses tremendous athletic talent, a drop of saliva sample would tell you. ”

This is what an advertisement of one of many genetic testing companies now available on the Chinese market promises. Some even claim to give you a “life manual."

According to a report by China National Radio, Chen Weishan, an elderly in Jiangyin, China’s east Jiangsu Province, spent her life savings of 300,000 yuan (about 44,000 US dollars) on six different genetic tests.

“My aunt has spent thousands of dollars on it. I think genetic tests are merely tricks of companies to sell health products,” her niece Wang Hong said.

Chen is one of a growing number of Chinese people who believe they could predict the future of their bodies or even cure any diseases through such tests. But are these techniques reliable?

A manager of a gene testing company, who refused to disclose his name, admitted that some centers exaggerate the effects of genetic tests as a way to make profit. If customers cannot recognize the limits of these procedures, they can easily to be duped and misled. 

According to Yang Deqiang, Director of Genetic Testing with Guangzhou Top Gene, there are currently no regulations and laws to govern commercial services related to genetic test, such as life expectancy prediction, and detection of hidden talents.

“You need a third-party qualification to have a gene test lab, but there are no clear national guidelines regarding demand genetic testing projects at the moment.”

At the same time, Qin Peng, who is in charge of marketing a genetic testing company in Beijing’s Daxing District, said with the development of "next-generation" sequencing technology, the cost of taking genetic tests has dropped greatly, but relevant regulations are not catching up with the industry.

For example, the price for breast cancer genetic testing ranges from 100 yuan (about 14.5 US dollars) to 10,000 yuan (1,450 US dollars) in China. The huge gap certainly makes customers confused.

Qin also warned that domestic genetic testing may not be as “accurate” as what consumers expect due to lack of professionals as well as gene database. 

However, China has made some breakthroughs in the sector and challenged the US long leading dominance in the industry, with Chinese scientists becoming the first in the world to use a revolutionary gene-editing technique in humans last year.

At the same time, China is ambitiously planning to inject 60 billion yuan (about 8.7 billion US dollars) in precision medicine by 2030, a medical model that aims to customize individuals' healthcare based on their genes. 

The country has already plans to build 30 pilot genetic testing centers by 2019.