23andMe resurrected
For most people, 23andMe is synonymous with direct-to-consumer genomics. It isn’t DNA sequencing, it’s microarrays that are capable of detecting many annotated variants. As with all direct-to-consumer genomics, the cost to consumers was supposed to be subsidized by the aftermarket for genetic information.
In the event, 23andMe declared bankruptcy recently, and there was a question of what would happen to all that genetic data.
“DNA testing company 23andMe (MEHCQ) is being purchased out of bankruptcy by large-cap drugmaker Regeneron (REGN) for $256 million.
“The deal includes “substantially all assets” but excludes the telehealth platform, pharmacy fulfillment business, and lab and test ordering services under Lemonaid Health, according to the agreement filed in the US Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Missouri. The deal is scheduled to close July 1.”
*snip*
“The company had tried for 10 years to create a robust business segment pairing its DNA data bank with drug discovery, hoping to make it a more efficient process as the industry turned to more personalized and targeted treatments. But the few partnerships it succeeded in securing over the years produced little.
“Regeneron is already in the business of linking de-identified genetic data to drug discovery, according to co-founder and board chair George Yancopoulos.”
I got my genome sequenced by Veritas back in 2017, and also purchased my variant call file so I can look up any variants newly associated with diseases. But it seems that Veritas also struggled and had to be sold:
“In 2022, Veritas Genetics was acquired by LetsGetChecked.com, and Veritas Intercontinental, which focused on international genomics offerings, was also acquired at the same time, according to LetsGetChecked according to Business Wire. While Veritas Genetics is no longer a separate entity, its technologies and services are now part of LetsGetChecked.com’s offering.”
As a graduate student in genetics, I never thought I’d live to see the human genome sequence, let alone get my own genome sequenced for $200. I’m glad it happened. I hope the day will come when anyone who wants it can get their genome sequenced.
23andMe acquired by Regeneron
In the event, 23andMe declared bankruptcy recently, and there was a question of what would happen to all that genetic data.
“DNA testing company 23andMe (MEHCQ) is being purchased out of bankruptcy by large-cap drugmaker Regeneron (REGN) for $256 million.
“The deal includes “substantially all assets” but excludes the telehealth platform, pharmacy fulfillment business, and lab and test ordering services under Lemonaid Health, according to the agreement filed in the US Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Missouri. The deal is scheduled to close July 1.”
*snip*
“The company had tried for 10 years to create a robust business segment pairing its DNA data bank with drug discovery, hoping to make it a more efficient process as the industry turned to more personalized and targeted treatments. But the few partnerships it succeeded in securing over the years produced little.
“Regeneron is already in the business of linking de-identified genetic data to drug discovery, according to co-founder and board chair George Yancopoulos.”
I got my genome sequenced by Veritas back in 2017, and also purchased my variant call file so I can look up any variants newly associated with diseases. But it seems that Veritas also struggled and had to be sold:
“In 2022, Veritas Genetics was acquired by LetsGetChecked.com, and Veritas Intercontinental, which focused on international genomics offerings, was also acquired at the same time, according to LetsGetChecked according to Business Wire. While Veritas Genetics is no longer a separate entity, its technologies and services are now part of LetsGetChecked.com’s offering.”
As a graduate student in genetics, I never thought I’d live to see the human genome sequence, let alone get my own genome sequenced for $200. I’m glad it happened. I hope the day will come when anyone who wants it can get their genome sequenced.
23andMe acquired by Regeneron
Joel:
Just read the commentary. Why would you want to get your “genome sequenced?” The first thought after reading many science-fiction books when they interested me was, what if my “genome” is one the gov no longer wanted in the population for whatever reason.
Can such identification be used against a person or category of humans? Sounds like “paranoia striking deep here” (old song). First thought that came to mind if I am in a registry of some type.
@Bill,
Well, since I got *my* genome sequenced, I can answer that in first person.
At the time, one motivation was that my dad died with a diagnosis of Frontotemporal Dementia. After he died, we had a brain autopsy performed, which came back with a diagnosis of Alzheimers. Both can be true. I was initially interested in whether I carry any known risk alleles for FTD or AD. I don’t. My mom was on Coumadin for the last few years of her life, and I found out I didn’t inherit any alleles that put me at risk for thrombosis. Since then, I’ve mined my variant call file for alleles associated with, e.g., heart disease, hypertension, various cancers, macular degeneration, glaucoma and other diseases of late adulthood. So far, I seem to have won the genetic lottery.
There are known alleles that affect drug metabolism. As of now, the only prescription drug I’m taking is glaucoma eye drops. But should I need other drugs, I can see if I have variants that could affect efficacy or side effects. That would interest me and probably also my PCP.
I didn’t get tested in order to give the government my genome data. Indeed, I signed confidentiality paperwork to have my sequences de-identified. Do I trust that? Well, do I trust the bridges I drive over, the manufacture of my car, the planes I fly in, the elevators I ride in, my fellow drivers on the highway, the bottle of Tylenol on the drug store shelf? I can’t live my life looking for conspiracies. YMMV.
My PhD is in genetics, so this was a curiosity-driven project for me as much as anything. I understand why others don’t share that. None of my siblings have had their genomes sequenced.
When I first read into it was with an eye towards satisfying oral family tradition, but as I learned that it works more like birds flocking together than the ‘blood quorum’, that like GPS locators you can get within a couple meters but never to the exact coordinate, I came to the conclusion it wasn’t what I was looking for
The bastard nobody wanted looking for a father …
Though it does lend weight to something I picked up long ago – It has long been known that to obtain the best crops the farmer should not seed with the seeds grown in his own fields, but with seed brought from afar. The strain of domestic animals seems always improved by imported stock, even poultry-breeders finding it best to sell the male birds they raise and supply their places with cocks brought from a distance. Whether or not the same law holds true with regard to the physical part of man, it is certain that the admixture of peoples produces stimulating mental effects. Prejudices are warn down, wits are sharpened, language enriched, habits and customs brought to the test of comparison and new ideas enkindled. The most progressive peoples, if not always of mixed blood, have always been the peoples who came most in contact with and learned most from others. From Henry George’s Protection or Free Trade, 1940
@Ten,
I did get some genealogy info with my Veritas report, but it wasn’t surprising or interesting to me. As you say, it isn’t that granular.
“It has long been known that to obtain the best crops the farmer should not seed with the seeds grown in his own fields, but with seed brought from afar. The strain of domestic animals seems always improved by imported stock, even poultry-breeders finding it best to sell the male birds they raise and supply their places with cocks brought from a distance.”
This is called heterosis. Yes, it applies to humans, although most human populations are sufficiently outbred that inbreeding depression isn’t a big issue. But read about the Habsburgs and also Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov. The Tamils of India and certain Arab tribes have a high incidence of consanguineous marriage, with associated health consequences.
https://www.bleeding.org/news/hemophilia-in-the-romanov-family
“The bastard nobody wanted looking for a father”
One of the most common unexpected findings from direct-to-consumer genomics is finding that one’s custodial father is not one’s biological father. Generally, you need parental or sibling sequence to verify this.
Many White supremacists have been surprised to discover that they have a significant number of variants associated with African genotypes.
LOL ~ I like to tell people I’m an All American Boy: Red White and Black
There’s a theory that Europe got a genetic advantage when the council of Agde in 506 outlawed first cousin or closer marriage. I doubt this prohibition was based on genetic analysis, but it had real effects. If you look at countries with a lot of first cousin marriage, e.g. Saudi Arabia, you’ll find a much higher rate of detrimental mutations. There was a rather poignant article about this in Science some years back featuring a genetic disease researcher in Saudi Arabia who had a son unable to walk.