---
title: "Geneticist Dmytro Mykytenko explains what is really behind the term 'biohacking' and what genetic tests can actually achieve"
description: "In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, geneticist Dmytro Mykytenko clarified that genetic tests reveal polygenic predispositions, not a sentence, and that 'biohacking' actually means adjusting one's lifestyle to individual characteristics, not rewriting DNA."
date: 2026-09-03T06:50:05.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/geneticist-mikitenko-biohacking-genetic-tests
tags: [genetic-testing, biohacking, dna, gene-therapy, genetic-pasport, health, polygenic-risk]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Geneticist Dmytro Mykytenko explains what is really behind the term 'biohacking' and what genetic tests can actually achieve

![Scientist in a lab analyzing DNA data on monitors in the context of genetic testing and biohacking](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/03/genetik-mikitenko-biohaking-geneticheskie-testy/genetik-mikitenko-biohaking-geneticheskie-testy-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Modern genetics makes it possible to assess risks at the pregnancy planning stage, select embryos during IVF, and carry out gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy and retinal dystrophy
- Wellness-class genetic tests analyze polygenic predispositions rather than identify specific diseases
- The term 'biohacking' creates a false impression of the possibility of rewriting DNA; in reality, it is about behavioral and pharmacological correction of lifestyle
- A genetic predisposition is no excuse for passivity — knowledge of risks should motivate prevention

Modern genetics and medicine are opening unprecedented opportunities for people to assess their own health — from pregnancy planning to correcting rare hereditary diseases. However, behind the trendy term 'biohacking' lies a far more modest reality than popular media tend to suggest. This is what geneticist Dmytro Mykytenko explained in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, where he broke down in detail what today's genetic tests can actually do and what remains in the realm of science fiction.

### What modern genetics can already do: from IVF to gene therapy

According to Mykytenko, today specialists are able to assess the risk of having a child with a genetic disease even at the pregnancy planning stage. Moreover, within the framework of in vitro fertilization (IVF), embryo selection is already practiced with the aim of having a healthy child. After birth, genetic diagnostics makes it possible to detect many, though not all, hereditary diseases. The expert named gene therapy the most breakthrough direction: 'This is how spinal muscular atrophy and some types of retinal dystrophy are treated,' he explained, referring to the insertion of a healthy gene to correct a specific disease.

### Genetic passports and polygenic predispositions: what Wellness-class tests show

In addition to highly specialized studies, ordinary people today have access to Wellness-class genetic passports, which reveal the characteristics of how their own body works. Mykytenko emphasized an important nuance: 'These tests do not look for the cause of a problem; they analyze certain polygenic predispositions.' If a variation is present in only one gene, the disease as a consequence may not manifest. However, if the activity of several genes from one functional block is reduced, this can already affect health. At the same time, the expert clarified that this does not necessarily mean a disease in the classical sense — rather, a reduction in quality of life.

### What 'biohacking' really is: the myth of rewriting DNA

Knowing their genetic characteristics, a person is able to influence the magnitude of the risk, and it is precisely this, according to Mykytenko, that 'they are now trying to call biohacking.' The geneticist warns against false expectations: the term 'partially creates the impression that we are changing the rules by which our body works.' In reality, it is exclusively about a predisposition, not a predetermined outcome. 'For example, a person knows that their mother wore glasses. That means they themselves have a predisposition to vision problems. Understanding this can be a motivation for prevention,' he gave a clear example. Thus, biohacking in the modern sense is not a genetic rewriting of the body's instructions, but adjusting one's lifestyle to individual characteristics in order to reduce risks.

### Genetics is no excuse: the role of personal responsibility

Mykytenko strongly warned that knowledge of a genetic predisposition does not free a person from responsibility for their own health. 'You cannot say: "I will do nothing about it because that is my genetics." Genetics is no excuse,' the expert emphasized. According to him, awareness of predispositions should push a person toward concrete decisions: 'If we know where it may arise, how high the risk is, we can develop a prevention plan.' As a practical example, the geneticist cited the situation with circadian sleep rhythm disorders: based on the results of a genetic test, it is easier for a neurologist to select a correction to balance sleep. 'We simply adjust to our characteristics in order to reduce risks,' Mykytenko summed up.

### Contradictory data

In the public discourse around the term 'biohacking,' there is a notable discrepancy between the marketing promises of commercial genetic laboratories and the position of specialized experts. On the one hand, advertising materials and popular science often present genetic tests as a tool for 'genome management' and 'rewriting' the body's biological programs. On the other hand, as Mykytenko explains, none of the tests available today changes the DNA sequence or 'switches on' or 'switches off' genes in real time. The expert directly points out that it is a matter of assessing polygenic predispositions and subsequent behavioral or pharmacological correction of lifestyle. Thus, the discrepancy lies not in the facts but in the interpretation: science records a risk, not a sentence, and it is precisely this difference that determines whether 'biohacking' is a real tool or a marketing construct.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Can you change DNA? A geneticist explains what real 'biohacking' is and how it works](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/chi-mozhna-zminiti-dnk-genetik-poyasniv-shcho-1788341633.html) - Первоисточник: интервью генетика Дмитрия Микитенко. Все прямые цитаты и факты (ЭКО, генная терапия, полигенные склонности, определение биохакинга) соответствуют тексту интервью.
- [Genetic passports in modern medicine: possibilities and limitations](https://novosti.ua/society/geneticheskie-pasporta-zachem-oni-nuzhny-i-chto-menyayut-v-zhizni) - Дополнительный контекст по генетическим паспортам класса Wellness и их диагностическим возможностям. Не противоречит основной статье.
- [Can DNA reveal what a child's character will be like: a geneticist's answer](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/chi-mozhna-dnk-diznatisya-kim-bude-harakter-1787765224.html) - Первоисточник: интервью генетика Дмитрия Микитенко. Все прямые цитаты и факты (ЭКО, генная терапия, полигенные склонности, определение биохакинга) соответствуют тексту интервью.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What is 'biohacking' in the context of genetic tests?
**A:** According to geneticist Dmytro Mykytenko, biohacking is not rewriting DNA, but a conscious adjustment of lifestyle and preventive measures to identified polygenic predispositions in order to reduce individual risk to the population level.

### Q: Can genetic tests cure a disease?
**A:** No, available Wellness-class tests neither treat nor even diagnose. They analyze polygenic predispositions. Treatment is currently the domain of gene therapy, which is used, for example, for spinal muscular atrophy and some types of retinal dystrophy.

### Q: Can genetics be used to plan the birth of a healthy child?
**A:** Yes. Specialists can assess the risk of having a child with a genetic disease at the pregnancy planning stage, and during IVF — select embryos for the birth of a healthy child. After birth, genetic diagnostics makes it possible to detect many hereditary diseases.

### Q: Is a genetic predisposition a sentence?
**A:** No. Mykytenko emphasizes that genetics is no excuse. Knowledge of predispositions should motivate prevention and concrete decisions to maintain health, not passive waiting.