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Getting my genes mapped...

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We all know I'm a big fan of technologies and gadgets... so when I read last week in the New York Times that one of the more innovative genetic mapping companies (23andme) had reduced the price of its Genetic Mapping service (which many companies sell for up to $2-3,000) from $999 to only a few hundred dollars, I decided it was an amazing amount of information and education to be able to get access to for that amount, so I took the plunge and signed up.

A day later, FedEx delivered a Spit Kit to my house, which requires about 10 minutes of spitting into and mixing together with a solution, and your DNA sample is ready to send back! And off it went to Los Angeles, California to a laboratory today. Funny enough, the FedEx Pak they provide specifically says "do not send liquids" on it :)

So in 6-8 weeks, I'll know where my ancestors are from, whether I'm genetically lactose intolerant, whether or not I love broccoli because I can't taste the bitterness in it, and whether or not I'm a bit more likely than average to get certain diseases or be susceptible to certain conditions in my lifetime, along with dozens of other interesting facts. For less than the price of a university course in genetics, I can view and learn much of the world's most up-to-date knowledge on the relationships between genes and personal/medical conditions personalized to my specific genetic data. How cool is that?

You can make a case against "messing with your life" this way (I had an interesting discussion about this with someone just the other night), but I think that given the great power we have as humans to be intelligent and understand life in a way that no other species can, we then have a responsibility to use it to maximize the potential of our lives. Right? I guess it's also just a bit of an extra motivation knowing that you're slightly more at risk than average to do something about it! (from 1-2 times more or less likely than the generally population, in most cases)

I'll check back in with the results in a few months!

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Comments

LindsayBeaudoin Lindsay Beaudoin
September 22, 2008 | 10:01 PM hahah
Well you already know how i feel about this,
so just picture me laughing.. alot. :) haha yassirovich Yassir EL OUARZADI
September 22, 2008 | 10:20 PM That's actually cool !
Well, I am nicely surprised by this news, it is very interesting to get to know detailed information about yourself thanks to technology and DNA.

While surfing on the web, I found an other article about the GENETIC MAPPING SERVICE http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120936.php
Is it the same as the one published on New York Times ?

Thanks for this article !
Yassir mfurdyk Michael Furdyk
September 22, 2008 | 10:22 PM Yup!
That's the same company... 23andme! yassirovich Yassir EL OUARZADI
September 22, 2008 | 10:44 PM Ok, great !
This is really an interesting service.

Thanks for sharing !
Yassir yassirovich Yassir EL OUARZADI
September 22, 2008 | 10:44 PM
By the way, the RSS is really very useful.

Yassir cherrie Cherrie
September 23, 2008 | 8:03 AM
Cool beans! I would love to see what sorts of results they give you and especially HOW they present it to you. I mean, it is information and information is powerful - but misinterpretations can also be powerful. People possessing genetic information should understand that depending on the characteristic, the 'final' (static or dynamic) outcome can also be influenced by environmental, epigenetic and psychological factors.

1) what would you do if you found out you had high chances of getting a late onset (ie later in life) debilitating disease?
2) what would you do if you found out you had high chances of PASSING ON (to your offspring) a debiliating disease?

We've always been taught that genetic counselling is always about the family, as well as the individual. But that what information the individual finds out about him/herself will potentially have huge effects on his/her family.

I suppose one could say - I won't change my life at all regardless of what the report says - but how far do you take it? What if changing your diet slightly MIGHT improve your chances of not getting heart disease? Do we even know for sure what will definitely cause heart disease? ...

Anyway, looking forward to hearing how they package this up for you! mfurdyk Michael Furdyk
September 23, 2008 | 1:15 PM Awesomely presented
You can create a demo account on 23andme.com and see how they present it (you have a sample family's data). That's part of what was so impressive for me... and the fact that they'll continue to update it as a community over time - so it's not just a static report you get.

Great questions and thoughts :) I hope they give me a coupon code for family and friends... that's when it gets interesting... a genetic social network! :P melissasnowden Melissa Snowden
September 24, 2008 | 5:01 PM Very interesting!
I can't believe stuff like this is available on the market... it's like a leap of light years was made, where it's always been super-hard and expensive to find family lineage, and much more, and now it's here at the spit of a saliva and $400. That's incredible.

Can't wait to hear what you've got to say about it once you've gotten your results. Are you at all worried about having others access to your DNA info? I'd feel worried about the possibilities of a company possessing that kind of information. Thanks! mfurdyk Michael Furdyk
September 24, 2008 | 5:37 PM Interesting questions...
No, I don't think I'm too worried. I guess I trust that if there was any mishandling of it, they would lose their credibility and lose most of their potential customers in the future.

Also, the sample is completely anonymous... if you want, you can put down any name you want. There is no personal information on the sample and they specifically tell you not to include any personal information with the return so I think they've done a lot of work to make sure the process is as anonymous as possible (and as you want it to be!) Priya1224 ~Priya~
September 29, 2008 | 9:37 AM Purpose?
This is really cool, but what exactly is the purpose?

I've heard of a few genetic tests, and I did one myself...one of the companies I work with came up with this awesome personalized health program and one component of that allowed you to get a genetic test done and you enter the results and it gives you a recommendation of health supplements/vitamins you needed. It was cool, and I used the info, but it wasn't a huuuge deal for me...until a family friend of ours did the heart health genetic test, and found out that he had a high chance of getting heart disease. He was able to start taking all the measures to maintain his health...which is something he wouldn't have even considered doing before having that test done! cherrie Cherrie
June 4, 2009 | 3:52 AM Impressed
I thought the results were presented quite well, too. But maybe a few too many clicks to find out exactly what all of the terminology meant, so it gets a bit tiring clicking on about 10 things for each list they gave you. Interesting read, though?

I suppose you'd get even more detailed information if you started adding family members, etc. I should read a bit more about how they choose what results to report... I suppose, the more concrete/well-established gene loci.

Cool about the raw data too
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