23andMe isn’t making too many headlines in tech circles any more, but there’s little doubt in my mind that it, or at least companies like it, will become incredibly important over the next decade or so. Affordable genetic testing will likely revolutionize the way we treat health care, and its effects on society will be profound. And well known celebrities like Sergey Brin (who happens to be married to 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki), are already beginning to publicly demonstrate some of the benefits of learning your genetic forecast.
Still, it’s hard to really call 23andMe “affordable” for most people at this point. The price has come down drastically from the $1000 Michael paid when he tried it out in late 2007 (it’s now only $399), but that’s still pretty steep for testing that most people probably have a hard time wrapping their heads around in the first place.
Today 23andMe has announced that it’s launching a much cheaper $99 version of its product as part of a new Research Revolution, which is meant to help 23andMe initiate research studies on genetic diseases that would otherwise require major logistical hurdles and funding. The effort is part of the company’s 23andWe research arm, which has the goal of building grassroots studies from communities of members who are afflicted by various genetic diseases.
Here’s how it works: 23andMe has picked out ten different diseases that it’s looking to study first (the company plans to study more down the line — this is just a starter set). Users visit the site and “pledge” to one disease. The first disease to reach 1000 votes will be the first one studied by 23andMe researchers, though all ten will eventually be studied. Participants agree to complete a number of surveys, and users who have previously submitted their DNA to the service can opt-in and submit votes as well. Voting will run through September 2009.
Unfortunately, the cheaper price comes with some downsides: you’ll miss out on a lot of the analysis that makes 23andMe really cool, like the ability to see your ancestry data, some of the site’s community features, and the ability to download your raw genetic data (which you could theoretically have analyzed again at some point in the future). What you’re left with are the site’s research reports, a list of risks for 100 diseases, and “traits”, along with some basic sharing and community functionality. You can see a full list of differences here.
Finally, it’s not clear if this is going to work at all. This is a new approach to genetic research, and some science blogs believe that a 1,000 person sample size may not be enough to generate adequate data. Still, provided that 23andMe ensures that all patients are given adequate informed consent and the resulting data is considered valid by the scientific community, this could prove to be an efficient new way to conduct scientific research.
I’m still a little confused at how the pricing works. You select the $99 option and then select which of the 10 ailments you want to vote for? Does your DNA analysis hinge on the ailment you vote for in any way?
Hi Jeff,
The DNA analysis does not hinge on what you vote for, everyone who gets the Research Revolution will have the same data. Here is a comparison of the Research Edition of our product vs. the Full Edition.
https://www.23a...lution/compare/
Chia
Community Manager at 23andMe
i think we can extrapolate their “sales volume” by the time it takes to hit all 1000 votes. interesting to see what the current demand it out there.
got this for my folks for christmas (the full kits)… ended up returning for a refund because of concerns that this could affect ability to get and keep health insurance…. and i think also a general uneasiness about finding out certain things that could be wrong!
hmm, interesting point.
Hi jess,
In 2008 the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was signed into U.S. law. Among other provisions, GINA prohibits the use of genetic information by health insurance providers to determine coverage. Health insurance providers also may not request, require, or purchase an individual’s genetic information.
There is more information on the NIH website here: http://ghr.nlm....minationactgina
Andro Hsu
Science & Policy Liaison
23andMe, Inc.
seems like an interesting thing. $99 to support a cause that you believe in and knowing that its going to go somewhere.
everybody spit now!
Very cool. I may try this in the near future.
Did TechCrunch cover this news about North Korean hackers attacking US & South Korean websites on the 4th of July?
I just read it a few minutes ago at:- http://www.tech...nsible-for.html
the $99 version doesn’t give you a bunch of the most interesting analysis of your dna.
you don’t get if you are a carrier of any diseases, your ancestral data, maternal/paternal info, etc. $399 is a bit much, but for $250, i bet they could do 5x the volume they are now
@Brian Breslin:
I totally agree. I’m ready to buy kits for myself, my parents, and my wife. A price point of around 200 – 250 would make this so much easier to swallow (does that count as a pun). ;-)
Agreed. Please 23andMe get it down to $200…
I think the main benefit of this will be raising public awareness about what is possible. I am not a genetics expert but I would be surprised if anything really valuable could come from samples of 1,000, esp. Since they won’t be random.
Just suggested they research Lupus…although the idea of a reality TV show style vote-off over a serious medical research question does make me feel *slightly* odd.
I wonder how much that blimp they had flying over Los Angeles last Sunday cost them
$99 or $0.99– is there anyone who feels secure putting this data in the hands of a company, “do no evil” or not?
if you think of how much data companies have on your internet activities (including your porn browsing at the office) what difference do few dna bits will make? Nowadays you can get a complete medical history of a person from a twitter feed
So we have the blimp, then layoffs, now selling their product for 1/4 the price they were last week (correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t they just ‘hiding’ the other data that you get with the full-priced service from you, I did not read anywhere in there that they are using different technology for this cheaper ‘research’ product).
When I read it was $99 I was ready to go buy a kit. When I read it was limited and not really the full deal I was not. Maybe one day soon they can break the $100 for the whole thing!
I don’t understand what the hype around 23andme is all about. It is neither a technologically innovative company, nor will it help us curing any disease anytime soon. The popular belief that genetics tells you everything about your future health is plainly wrong and this has been known now for over a decade.
The advent of proteomics, glycomics etc. have shown that there are much more subtle layers of regulation in the cell. So even compiling large datasets (as they try now) won’t yield significant conclusions on disease, as the underlying hypothesis is shacky to say the least.
23andMe seems to keep one step ahead of regulators – and move to a different scene every so often – but that won’t last long.
Kind of like gypies who get chased from town to town by the local Sherrifs – you get picture…….
23andMe is a marketing company masquerading as a research organization.
Here are some unvarnished observations from one of many qualified people in the space. He keeps it simple…
http://thegenes...earch?q=23andme
I would love to have a copy of my DNA for $100. After that it seems to take a backseat to netbooks, ebook readers, phones, home theatre equipment, etc..
This is on the 23 and me ‘fine print’ ..
“While the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act was signed into law in the United States in 2008, the protection it will provide against discrimination by employers and health insurance companies for employment and coverage issues has not been clearly established. In addition, GINA does not cover life or disability insurance providers. Some, but not all, states and other jurisdictions have laws that protect individuals from this kind of conduct.”
Jason
At least give impression of impartiality when reporting; lots of other companies out there
TruGenetics offers FREE genome scans
why would anyone PAY?
Ed, Ed, Ed. Shamelessly plugging your own company without identifying yourself to it, bad etiquette.
A.Edward Mohebi, MBA, PhC, Chief Operating Officer of TruGenetics
Michael ???
Your ID is ???????????
Michael, Michael, Michael
Shamelessly hiding behind a ubiquitous first name while leaving derogatory comments? BAD FORM….
where I use my full name just so people like you can find out who I am……
so, your dross above is ………….