23andMe
Encyclopedia
23andMe is a privately held personal genomics
and biotechnology
company based in Mountain View, California
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 chromosome
s 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.
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.
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. 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.
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
. Genentech
is also reported to have invested in 23andMe.
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:
Kevin Kelleher in GigaOM
writes:
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. 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. 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.
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.
In 2008, Time
magazine named 23andMe's DNA-testing service "Invention of the Year" for pioneering retail genomics.
Personal genomics
Personal genomics is the branch of genomics concerned with the sequencing and analysis of the genome of an individual. The genotyping stage employs different techniques, including single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis chips , or partial or full genome sequencing...
and biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
company based in Mountain View, California
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
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 chromosome
Chromosome
A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...
s in a normal human cell
Cell (biology)
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....
.
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.
History
23andMe was founded to "empower individuals and develop new ways of accelerating research." The initial cost of 23andMe's product was $999. In late 2010 23andMe introduced an alternative pricing option of $199 with a required one-year subscription of $5 a month, and in March 2011 $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 is also available.23andMe also provides free testing without subscriptions fees to individuals that qualify for certain research initiatives. Current research initiatives include Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
, Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
, sarcoma
Sarcoma
A sarcoma is a cancer that arises from transformed cells in one of a number of tissues that develop from embryonic mesoderm. Thus, sarcomas include tumors of bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, vascular, and hematopoietic tissues...
, myeloproliferative neoplasms, and the Roots into the Future initiative which explores the connection between DNA and disease in African Americans.
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
Exome
The exome is the part of the genome formed by exons, coding portions of genes in the genome that are expressed, that is, provide the genetic blueprint used in the synthesis of proteins and other functional gene products...
at a cost of $999. 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.
Both Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
and New Enterprise Associates
New Enterprise Associates
New Enterprise Associates is a global investment firm focused on venture capital and growth equity investments. With approximately $11 billion in committed capital, NEA is among the largest venture firms. The firm invests in three broad industry sectors: information technology, healthcare, and...
have invested in 23andMe. Google has invested $3.9M and recently another $2.6M in 23andMe, whose co-founder Anne Wojcicki
Anne Wojcicki
Anne E. Wojcicki is an American biotech analyst, biologist, and the co-founder of 23andMe.Wojcicki is the daughter of educator Esther Wojcicki and Stanley Wojcicki, a Polish American physics professor at Stanford University. She attended Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California, where she was one...
is married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin
Sergey Brin
Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin is a Russian-born American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur who, with Larry Page, co-founded Google, one of the largest internet companies. , his personal wealth is estimated to be $16.7 billion....
. Genentech
Genentech
Genentech Inc., or Genetic Engineering Technology, Inc., is a biotechnology corporation, founded in 1976 by venture capitalist Robert A. Swanson and biochemist Dr. Herbert Boyer. Trailing the founding of Cetus by five years, it was an important step in the evolution of the biotechnology industry...
is also reported to have invested in 23andMe.
Media
23andMe has been featured on OprahThe Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
and in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
, San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
, "Silicon Valley\San Jose Business Journal" and San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, 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.
Kevin Kelleher in GigaOM
GigaOM
GigaOM is a Web 2.0 blog started by Om Malik and published by Giga Omni Media, Inc. in San Francisco, California. According to the company website it has a monthly global audience of 500,000. It is among the top 50 blogs worldwide by Technorati Rank, and is listed on CNet's Blog 100 list...
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.
In April 2008, New York State's Department of Health sent warning letters to six online genetic testing
Genetic testing
Genetic testing is among the newest and most sophisticated of techniques used to test for genetic disorders which involves direct examination of the DNA molecule itself. Other genetic tests include biochemical tests for such gene products as enzymes and other proteins and for microscopic...
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. In June 2008, the California Department of Public Health
California Department of Public Health
The California Department of Public Health is the state department responsible for public health in California. It is a subdivision of the California Health and Human Services Agency...
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. 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.
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.
In 2008, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine named 23andMe's DNA-testing service "Invention of the Year" for pioneering retail genomics.
See also
- Genetic testingGenetic testingGenetic testing is among the newest and most sophisticated of techniques used to test for genetic disorders which involves direct examination of the DNA molecule itself. Other genetic tests include biochemical tests for such gene products as enzymes and other proteins and for microscopic...
- Single-nucleotide polymorphism
- Maps of American ancestriesMaps of American ancestriesThe ancestry of the people of the United States is widely varied and includes descendants of populations from around the world, some presumably extinct elsewhere...
- Personal genomicsPersonal genomicsPersonal genomics is the branch of genomics concerned with the sequencing and analysis of the genome of an individual. The genotyping stage employs different techniques, including single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis chips , or partial or full genome sequencing...
- PharmacogenomicsPharmacogenomicsPharmacogenomics is the branch of pharmacology which deals with the influence of genetic variation on drug response in patients by correlating gene expression or single-nucleotide polymorphisms with a drug's efficacy or toxicity...
- Genetic counselingGenetic counselingGenetic counseling or traveling is the process by which patients or relatives, at risk of an inherited disorder, are advised of the consequences and nature of the disorder, the probability of developing or transmitting it, and the options open to them in management and family planning...
- Genomic counselingGenomic counselingGenomic counseling is the process by which a person gets informed about his or her genome. In contrast to genetic counseling, which focuses on Mendelian diseases and typically involves person-to-person communication with a medical genetics expert, genomic counseling is not limited to currently...