GeekSugar

A Review of 23andMe's DNA Testing Kit

Heather Dale — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:05:52 PDT

I finally bit the bullet, saved up my pennies, and purchased an item that's been on my wish list for the past year - a DNA Testing Kit from 23andMe.

This innovative contraption made it onto our February Must Haves list, but let me refresh your memory on the details of the test kit.

For $199 (down from their original price tag of $499), 23andMe mails you a kit, which includes detailed step-by-step instructions and the necessary materials. First, you create an online profile at the site and register your kit; then, you just need to spit in the provided tube, and mail it off to a fancy lab for analysis. From just a tiny saliva sample, using the latest DNA technology, scientists extract DNA from cheek cells in your saliva. From there, the DNA is copied multiple times so that it can be used in the genotyping step. Here's a more in-depth, scientific explanation on how the entire DNA analysis process works.

Here's what happens when you get your DNA results.

Fit For February: Must Haves

FitSugar — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:30:36 PST

It's February and we have red, pink, and hearts on the brain. Whether you're loving your sweetie for Valentine's Day or giving yourself a healthy makeover in honor of American Heart Month, we've got you covered in our February Must Haves.

Is 23andMe For You?

babysugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:00:06 PDT

Part of the fun of making a baby is the surprise of it all. Expectant parents become giddy over the suspense - will it have his eyes or hers, be a boy or girl, have curly or straight hair? Some people find out the answers to the big questions around the 18-week ultrasound reveal while others keep it a mystery. For those who don't want to leave anything in question, there is the $399 23andMe genetic testing kit.

The simple spit test can reveal the genetic likelihood of hazel eyes versus blue or brown. For nearly that price, I think I'd want a portrait of the child. Oh wait, I already get some of those. I can think of a few better ways to spend that kind of dough and think the health benefits of the test (predicting diabetes, downs, etc.) would be discovered with traditional genetic testing, which is typically covered, at least partially, by one's insurance. To be fair, the test can tell someone details about the baby's ancestry which could be enlightening, interesting or even lifesaving. But to many, ignorance is bliss. Would you spend that kind of cash to determine your offspring's hypothetical genetic makeup or your own background?

Sergey Brin's Wife Shows Off Baby Bump and Talks About Her Invention of the Year

GeekSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:03:11 PST

I was just in the midst of catching up on my daily dose of Oprah on Friday, when who should appear on her Friday Live! episode, but Anne Wojcicki, the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Alongside her 23andMe co-founder Linda Avey, Wojcicki talked about her Retail DNA Test Kit, which was named Time's 2008 Invention of the Year. For only $399 (a price drop from $1000), you can now purchase one of these kits that are easy to use (you spit in a tube and send it back), and it will be shipped off to a lab where 600,000 genetic markers are read. Once the results are in, you will be notified by email and then you can log in to view your very own genome.

During the show, Oprah asked Anne if she was six months along in her pregnancy, to which she replied - "I'm nine!". She also explained that after testing her and Sergey's genetics, they realized that her unborn son has a 50 percent change of inheriting a high risk for Parkinson's disease.

I Iooked at Sergey's profile and I looked at me, and we saw that the child has a 50 percent (chance of being) lactose intolerant. Because of Sergey, the child has a very, very unlikely chance of having blue eyes.

Very exciting stuff indeed -personal DNA testing, baby Brin on the way. As much as I would love to know my entire genetic makeup, I can't help but wonder what the moral implications will be. Even though on May 1, President George W. Bush signed a bill that makes it illegal for health insurers and employers to deny coverage due to a potential genetic condition, I can't help but wonder if and when this could change.

Images Courtesy of Oprah.com