The personal genetics company 23andMe has launched its Personal Genome Service in the UK, claiming that the test may reveal risk factors for certain diseases.
According to 23andMe, its Personal Genome Service DNA test “is not a diagnostic but includes results for genes associated with certain inherited conditions, such as cystic fibrosis”. It also “tests for genes that may reveal risk factors” for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, the American company said. The test provides reports on more than 100 health conditions and traits at a cost of £125.
In the United States, the company has been banned by the Food and Drug Administration from returning health results, but not genealogical ones, to its customers. The FDA said in a November 2013 letter to Ann Wojcicki, 23andMe’s cofounder and chief executive, that it considered the product that the company was offering in the US to be a diagnostic, and that the company did not have marketing approval for the product and had not clinically validated it.
This article on Research Professional News is only available to Research Professional or Pivot-RP users.
Research Professional users can log in and view the article via this link
Pivot-RP users can log in and view the article via this link.