Last week I was able to take the second step towards understanding my genetic trivia – the $1,000 23andMe kit I ordered on December 6 arrived. I spent a few minutes reading the directions and then did as I was told – I spent 5 minutes or so spitting into the provided tube, mixing in a chemical that comes with the kit, and sealing it up for shipment. In 4-6 weeks, they say, I’ll get the results back and will know a little more about my essential me-ness. It’s clear that the concerns I brought up in the last post about taking a sample from someone without their knowledge won’t work that well with 23andMe. The volume of spit required to complete the test is just too much not to raise someone’s suspicions. And as luck would have it, I ran into co-founder Anne Wojcicki at a holiday party just a couple of hours after the spitting session. She said the 4-6 week window was the longest it would take to get back results, and that some people get them back in just a week or two. I asked her if she could do me a favor and make sure mine got done quickly. She politely declined, saying something about how their privacy protections make it impossible for her to single my sample out. I also asked Anne how many kits have been purchased. I ran the question by her perfectly – I asked a string of easy questions that she answered quickly and then I snuck that one in (this almost always works when trying to get sensitive information out of entrepreneurs), but she was on the ball and her media training clicked in. No answer. 23andMe is also a very expensive social network. Account holders can share their genetic information with friends (or anyone really) and compare that information with respect to inherited traits, ancestry and global similarity. I’ll post again when the test results come in. More photos from the test are here. Side note: I also ran into photographer Lane Hartwell at the party last night. Boy was that an uncomfortable conversation. CrunchBase Information 23andMe Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
Tonight I bit the bullet and bought a DNA test from 23andMe’s new Personal Genome Service. This wasn’t an easy thing to do. Quite frankly I fear what may be disclosed to me after spitting in that plastic cup and sending it off for analysis. On the one hand, I can’t wait to find out interesting things about myself, like: Do your genes help you sprint faster? How well can you taste bitter foods? Do you share maternal ancestry with outlaw Jesse James? Are you more similar to Mayans or Basques? But I’ll also get all kinds of information about genetic diseases I might be more or less likely to get over time. Do I really want to know? The massive terms and conditions agreement didn’t help to calm me. The section called “Risks” mentioned a number of things that I hadn’t thought of – like the fact that my dad may not actually be my dad. And that the information I receive may alter my life and worldview. But what really worries me is that last sentence above, about social, legal or economic implications of discovering this information. What if this information becomes public? What if I can’t get health care because of the results? Call me a luddite, but this is a whole new class of private information that previous generations didn’t have to deal with. Our laws are waaaaay behind the curve here when it comes to protecting us. The kit comes soon. After I spit and send it back, the analysis starts and in 4-6 short weeks I’ll be able to, as New York Times writer Amy Harmon said, “Google my DNA.” 23andMe has strong security features in place to keep my information fairly secure. But there’s a big hole in the plan – what if I simply send in someone else’s spit? What if it’s someone I’m thinking about marrying? What if someone does that to me? There’s no way to stop people from spending $1,000 and getting a full genetic download of ME, in all my flawed glory. Anyway, no time to worry about that now. The future is coming, and I want to know. I just hope that there isn’t something horrifically genetically wrong with me that sends me to a futuristic version of a leper colony should anyone find out. Look for updates here – if I go strangely quiet, you’ll know → Read More
23andMe, the genetics company founded by Sergey Brin’s wife Anne Wojcicki will launch Monday with a service that will bring science fiction into reality. 23andMe will offer a genetic screening service for $999. The short story is that 23andMe will administer a test (presumably a swab or saliva test) that will take your DNA and screen it. In return you will be told your genetic history including whether you are likely to suffer from a range of diseases or similar life altering events, including heart disease. I cant help but think of the 1997 Ethan Hawke/ Uma Thurman movie Gattaca where “during this time society analyzes your DNA and determines where you belong in life;” 23andme is the first step towards that vision. If you thought Google’s already considerable power was of concern, consider that Google invested $3.9 million in the company in May; I’m not suggesting that Google is about to commence an index of the planet’s DNA, but well…no one really knows why Google invested in the company aside from Brin’s marital relationship. I’m sure we all want to know what diseases we might end up with in the future, and in the development of human knowledge the accessibility of 23andMe’s product is a step forward..but I still can’t help but feel a little concerned. The below video is an interview 23andMe’s founders Linda Avey and Anne Wojcicki did with Wired. And the NYT has a first-person account of using the service this morning. CrunchBase Information 23andMe Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
Here’s an odd story. Google just took a $3.9 million stake in a biotech company called 23andMe Inc. The company was co-founded by Anne Wojcicki, who married Google co-founder Sergey Brin earlier this month. Other investors in the round include Genentech, MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures and New Enterprise Associates. Brin had personally loaned the company $2.6 million prior to the round. This debt was repaid after the Google investment. The company is going to help people take DNA tests to get more information on their genetic health. The company will try to keep costs low and get information back to users as quickly as possible. We’re hearing this is a long, long way from launching. 23andMe is a privately held company developing new ways to help you make sense of your own genetic information. Even though your body contains trillions of copies of your genome, you’ve likely never read any of it. Our goal is to connect you to the 23 paired volumes of your own genetic blueprint (plus your mitochondrial DNA), bringing you personal insight into ancestry, genealogy, and inherited traits. By connecting you to others, we can also help put your genome into the larger context of human commonality and diversity. Toward this goal, we are building on recent advances in DNA analysis technologies to enable broad, secure, and private access to trustworthy and accurate individual genetic information. Combined with educational and scientific resources with which to interpret and understand it, your genome will soon become personal in a whole new way. So what’s the connection with Google? No idea, yet, but these companies are now firmly in bed with each other (pun intended). → Read More
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