23andMe
 |
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Biotechnology |
| Founded | 2006 April |
| Founder(s) | Anne Wojcicki and Linda Avey |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, California, United States |
| Key people | Esther Dyson, Board Member |
| Products | Genetic test |
| Services | Genetic testing |
| Website | 23andMe.com |
23andMe is a privately held personal genomics and biotechnology company based in Mountain View, California[1] that is developing new methods and technologies that will enable consumers to understand their own genetic information. The company is named for the 23 pairs of chromosomes in a normal human cell.
The 23andMe website is currently split into four categories: Health and Traits, Ancestry, Sharing and Community, and Research. They currently test or are researching over 100 diseases, conditions, and traits.
Contents |
[edit] History
- 23andMe was founded to "empower individuals and develop new ways of accelerating research."[2] The initial cost of 23andMe's product for US-consumers in November 2007 was $999 (580,000 SNPs using Illumina technology).[3]
- In January 2008 the service was extended to Canada and most countries in Europe. In September 2008 the test was updated from V1 to V2 and the cost reduced to $399. This was possible with the Illumina HumanHap550-Quad+ chip, capable to read about 600,000 SNPs (expanded range) from all chromosomes and the mtDNA.[4]
- In November 2010 23andMe introduced an alternative pricing option of $199 with a required one-year subscription of $5 a month. The newly introduced V3 test reads almost 1,000,000 SNPs with the Illumina OmniExpress Plus customized chip (base OmniExpress 733,202 SNPs). For both ancestral lineages (mitochondrial DNA and Y-DNA) over 2000 SNPs are recorded making possible Haplogroup Discovery of over 750 maternal lineages and over 500 different paternal lineages. [5][6]
- In March 2011 the pricing was changed to $99 with $9/month (for at least one year). This subscription would provide subscribers with updates on discoveries made about their DNA over time. A single-fee payment of $399 without the commitment continues also to be available. On the SCGS-Meeting in June 2011 23andMe stated to have tested about 75,000 individuals.[7]
- On September 27, 2011 23andMe announced at Health 2.0 in San Francisco a limited enrollment pilot program for current members called Exome 80x. The test will measure 50 million base pairs of the participant's exome at a cost of $999.[8] This new test will not be good for ancestry as the test focuses on the exome and will not measure much of mitochondrial or Y-chromosome DNA.
- Technical info November 2011: v3-only raw data download has 960,520 SNPs (1,764 for Y-DNA and 2,459 for mtDNA). Relative Finder looks for segments of DNA from a common ancestor (IBD = Identical By Descent). Segments of at least 7 cM (centiMorgans) and at least 700 SNPs are reported. Additional segments need to be at least 5 cM and have at least 700 SNPs.[9]
23andMe also provides free testing without subscriptions fees to individuals that qualify for certain research initiatives. Current research initiatives include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, sarcoma, myeloproliferative neoplasms, and the Roots into the Future initiative which explores the connection between DNA and disease in African Americans.[10][11][12][13][14]
Both Google and New Enterprise Associates have invested in 23andMe. Google has invested $3.9M and recently another $2.6M in 23andMe, whose co-founder Anne Wojcicki is married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin.[15] Genentech is also reported to have invested in 23andMe.[16]
[edit] Media
23andMe has been featured on Oprah and in The New York Times, The Economist, San Jose Mercury News, "Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal" and San Francisco Chronicle, and has been covered by other high-profile media groups.
Thomas Söderqvist wrote in 2007:
There has not been much news about the company yet (see Blaine Bettinger’s blog The Genetic Genealogist and Attila Csordas’ Pimm), but my guess is that we will hear more about it in the near future. Whatever its future prospects, however, it’s already a good example of how converging technologies ... are emerging at the start-up company level. Recently Oprah did a show featuring 23andMe giving new exposure to people who otherwise would not have heard of them before.
The marriage between Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki is thus not just a romantic Silicon Valley story; it’s also today’s counterpart to traditional politically motivated marital alliances and gives a new meaning to the concept of converging technologies.[17]
Kevin Kelleher in GigaOM writes:
A case could be made that there is a good reason for Google to make this deal. And although I realize I may end up regretting it, I am going to make that case. [...] An investment in 23andMe lets Google chart yet another collision course with Microsoft’s ambitions. [...] If Google wants to really organize the world information, it needs to consider DNA, the most personal of data. And what 23andMe is purporting to sell is the ultimate in navel gazing.[16]
In April 2008, New York State's Department of Health sent warning letters to six online genetic testing companies, including 23andMe, notifying them that they cannot offer New York state residents genetic tests without a permit nor can they offer them without authorization from a physician.[18] In June 2008, the California Department of Public Health issued 'cease and desist' letters to 23andMe and to other genetic testing companies notifying them that they must stop offering tests until they provided proof of state and federal clinical lab certification and until genetics test results were issued only when ordered directly by a physician.[19] The company responded that they were already in compliance with California law and would continue to operate in California. However, much of the issue of compliance pertains to whether the genetic testing is regarded as 'educational,' as 23andMe argues, or 'diagnostic,' in which case the process is governed by much stricter regulations. Currently, only 25 states permit direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests without restriction.[20]
In August 2008, two companies that offer consumers information about their genes, 23andMe and Navigenics, received licenses that allow them to continue to do business in California.[21]
In 2008, Time magazine named 23andMe's DNA-testing service "Invention of the Year" for pioneering retail genomics.[22]
[edit] See also
- Genetic testing
- Single-nucleotide polymorphism
- Maps of American ancestries
- Personal genomics
- Pharmacogenomics
- Genetic counseling
- Genomic counseling
[edit] References
- ^ "23andMe, Inc. Company Profile". Manta.com. http://www.manta.com/coms2/dnbcompany_6k1rd8.
- ^ "23andMe Store Cart". https://www.23andme.com/store/. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
- ^ "Google-backed 23andMe offers $999 DNA test". http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2007-11-20-23andme-launch_N.htm. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
- ^ "Press Release: 23andMe Democratizes Personal Genetics - September 9, 2008". https://www.23andme.com/about/press/20080909b/.
- ^ "Sale or no Sale - Dr. James M. Owston, Dec 2, 2011". https://www.23andme.com/you/community/thread/10470/.; FAQ 23andme: How does 23andMe genotype my DNA? Y-Chromosome Genome Comparison Errata for 23andME Data Compilation, 5 Feb 2011
- ^ "Our Service: Ancestry Features / techniques". 23andMe. https://www.23andme.com/ancestry/techniques/. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
- ^ "News from 23andMe and FTDNA at SCGS 2011 Jamboree - June 12, 2011". http://www.yourgeneticgenealogist.com/2011/06/news-from-23andme-and-ftdna-at-scgs.html.
- ^ "Exome 80x". 23andMe. 2011-09-27. https://www.23andme.com/exome/. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ "How does Relative Finder calculate my matches?". 23andMe. https://www.23andme.com/you/faqwin/rfcalculation/. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ "Parkinson's Disease: Strength in Numbers". 23andMe. https://www.23andme.com/pd/. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ "Help Fight Alzheimer's Disease". 23andMe. https://www.23andme.com/research/fight_alzheimers/landing/. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ "23andMe Sarcoma Community: A Patient-Driven Revolution in Sarcoma Research". 23andMe. https://www.23andme.com/sarcoma/. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ "23andMe Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Research Initiative". 23andMe. https://www.23andme.com/mpn/. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ "Roots into the Future". 23andMe. https://www.23andme.com/roots/. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ "Google invests in genetics firm". BBC News. 2007-05-22. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6682451.stm. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
- ^ a b Kevin Kelleher (2007-05-24). "Google, Sergey and 23andMe: Why it all makes sense". GigaOmniMedia. http://gigaom.com/2007/05/24/google-sergey-and-23andme-why-it-all-makes-sense/. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ^ Thomas Söderqvist (2007-05-20). "23andMe and converging technologies". Medical Museion. University of Copenhagen. http://www.museion.ku.dk/ommuseion/medarbejdere/soderqvist.aspx. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ^ Robert Langreth and Matthew Herper (2008-04-18). "States Crack Down On Online Gene Tests". Forbes.com. http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/17/genes-regulation-testing-biz-cx_mh_bl_0418genes.html.
- ^ Jason Kincaid (2008-06-18). "Cease And Desist: California Tries to Unravel 23andMe's Genetic Testing". TechCrunch.com (WashingtonPost.com). http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/17/AR2008061702720.html.
- ^ "Publication Announcement: Comparison of State Laws for Direct-to-Consumer Testing". News Release. Genetics & Public Policy Center. 2007-07-06. http://www.dnapolicy.org/news.release.php?action=detail&pressrelease_id=81.
- ^ Pollack, Andrew (2008-08-20). "California Licenses 2 Companies to Offer Gene Services". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/business/20gene.html?_r=4&ref=health&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin.
- ^ "TIME's Best Inventions of 2008". Time magazine. 2008-10-29. http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1852747_1854493,00.html. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
