Last Thursday, the Government Accountability Office presented Congress with a damning report on the consumer genetic testing industry, concluding many tests are “misleading and of little or no practical use.” Company leaders and some geneticists, responding via blog and twitter, have called the report one-sided and unscientific, citing concern it will do irreparable harm to the nascent industry.

One of the main criticisms is that the GAO did not name the companies in its report, thus lumping together the more reputable companies, which have generally gone to great length to explain the limitations of their testing, with the clearly charlatan ones, such as those selling supplements tailored to an individual’s DNA.

The report also largely failed to distinguish between useful tests, such as those that predict whether someone will respond to a particular drug, with those whose utility is still up in the air, including tests that predict risk of complex diseases, such as diabetes or heart disease.