At some point this past April, I've decided to give my saliva to 23andMe to have my DNA tested (while learning about Hemochromatosis and the genetic aspects at the time). Even though it'll be added to a global DNA database, I figured that I am already known and "tracked" anyway (as Dawn pointed out), so why not use it to get more information about my DNA and all that self-knowledge growth (it's all very "double-edge sword" thing). They also can detect any disease carriers (including Hemochromatosis) and other interesting information. So, I just got my results.
As I've mentioned in the past, I have done a lot of research into my family history on my own (my own mother won't help me in this regard due to her belief in "past must be forgotten" doctrine and my own father having disowned me) and figuring out where my ancestors came from - I even had a map of each generation as they moved from one place to another over time, which I thought was kinda cool. Recently, I've done a hard research on my father's side and better understanding the family atmosphere and nasty dynamic.
For a long while, I had thought about going to "AncestryDNA" which is another one of those genetics companies/genealogy database which is a part of Ancestry website (with over 2.7 million paying subscribers). The DNA test only costs like $99 but the results focus only on one's family origins (no health data). It is partnered with Family Tree DNA company, which they shared the DNA data. While the company does not carry out the actual DNA testing, the tests are done on a contract-basis with Sorenson Genomics Laboratories (according to isogg wiki: _http://www.isogg.org/wiki/AncestryDNA). The press release of 2012 on the Ancestry website said that they acquired access to the collection database from Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, and recently teamed up with TLC and other medias for their new show called
Who Do You Think You Are? that explores the family roots of celebrities as we watches them embarking on a "personal journey" to discover their past. I personally have issues with the Ancestry website over the years because they had a habit of luring you in with some new "features" and you ended up paying for them, which fueled my bias for not choosing this company for my family research and eventually forgotten about the DNA testing.
23andMe company is different from Ancestry as the latter is funded by million subscribers (and other sources) while the former is funded by investors, including Google Ventures (AKA "Big Brother") as they just invested $12 million, which is interesting because Google's co-founder Sergey Brin is married to Anne Wojcicki, who is co-founder of 23andMe. The former includes both health and ancestry data while Ancestry focuses on the family origins only - both at the same price. As for the former, an interesting thing about their product being $99 price was due to reaching a "million customer" goal this year (the price used to be $299 or more). If they decided to charge me for anything else in the future, I am
so outta there but not before I'd save all of the results thus far.
First off, this is not a complete "genetic sequencing" DNA test but rather a "genotyping" test known as SNP DNA test (SNP stands for single nucleotide polymorphisms), which they determines which genetic variants one possesses based on current studies. These tests are done at "LabCorp's CLIA-certified laboratory." They do update each information that one had with new scientific studies over time, which I thought was interesting.
Here are two recent articles by authors sharing their experiences with this company:
My Experience With Personal Genetic Testing Through 23andMe (01 June 2013):
_http://geekdad.com/2013/06/23andme/
The Quantified Self: Exploring your genome with 23andMe (03 June 2013):
_http://www.zdnet.com/the-quantified-self-exploring-your-genome-with-23andme-7000016225/
A health result will be shown first after the saliva sample been received and analyzed before "DNA Relatives and Ancestry Composition results" becomes available. So I'll share what I have.
The
Health results are grouped into four areas: Health Risks, Carrier Status, Traits and Drug Response - all based on current genetic studies information on specific markers.
Health Risks show a list of health conditions with "established research" for one's calculated risk ranged from "Elevated Risk" (above average) to "Decreased Risk" (below average) to "Typical Risk" (within 20% of average) of the diseases as reported by the "established research" (meaning "based on current scientific studies"). So, my first five "elevated risk" conditions are Prostate Cancer (26.1%), Psoriasis (22.4%), Parkinson's Disease (2.2%), Ulcerative Colitis (1.7%), and ESCC (0.43%). There are a lot more, of course, and each one has a more detailed information about the disease and how it connects to a specific genotype, based on a particular study (they gave citations/sources for those studies - the more studies that support the particular disease, the more "confidence" that they have on the established risk).
Carrier Status or
"Inherited Conditions" show one's status regarding the genetic variations that "could have been" linked to particular diseases - again, based on the studies. They do test for any mutation for any genetic disorders or disease, including Hemochromatosis (which, in my case, revealed no mutation). The only thing that I am a carrier of is Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency to which they detected "MZ" allele in my SERPINA1 gene. A1AT can lead to COPD, emphysema, and liver disease. They even gave what it means: "MZ: Has one M and one Z form of the SERPINA1 gene. People with this combination may be at increased risk for liver disease, and may experience decreased lung function if they smoke."
That's a very bad thing about this whole thing: they included the scientific studies that are fueled by a smoking propaganda.
Traits list reveals physical attributes that are determined and/or influenced by genetics while others could be non-genetic factors. It's kind of a boring stuff here, but it has very interesting information that includes which attributes belong to which gene/chromosome (e.g., eye color = HERC2 gene). There's one odd thing that they included: "Measures of Intelligence" which is based on one Dutch family-based study that found this trait on SNAP25 gene. My result came to AA genotype, which means that I averaged three points higher on non-verbal IQ. I think it's all very "Myers-Briggs" approach here.
Drug Response displays one's status with regard to "genetic variations that have been linked to differences in how people respond to drugs." The only thing that they detected for me is Warfarin (Coumadin®) Sensitivity (being sensitive to a blood thinner).
Of course, they keeps reminding us not to use these health information as a final diagnosis and asked us to consult with a physician for any reasons (it's all policy here). If there's anything in my reports that I would want tested, I'll do it somewhere else as one cannot trust the results there completely.
The
Ancestry results are grouped into: Ancestry Composition, Maternal Line, Paternal Line, Neanderthal Ancestry, and other cool things like DNA Melody (where they craft a melody based on your genotype). They still have not finished with the calculation on my ancestry composition yet. Keep in mind that they are using "out-of-Africa" ancestry theory here.
My maternal line (mtDNA) is haplogroup V3, a subgroup of V, which is said to have been originated in Iberia over 12,000 years ago. The locations of this haplogroup over time is consistent with my research on my mother's side of the tree locations.
My paternal line (y-DNA) is haplogroup I1, a subgroup of I, which is situated in most of Europe (almost non-existent outside of Europe) - again, consistent with my father's side of the tree (my great-grandfather immigrated to America from Poland); of Viking/Germanic origin. This suggests that I am not of a Celtic origin, which adds to the result of not having any mutation in my HFE gene (doesn't mean that I won't get an iron overload) as were being discussed in Hemochromatosis and Bloodline threads.
They even included a section called "Neanderthal Ancestry," which is a bit odd. My results put me at
93rd percentile: 3.0% out of 4% of my DNA is from the Neanderthals.
They also have other features using my haplogroups, including a "Haplogroup Tree Mutation Mapper" that shows us which particular mutations are found in my mtDNA or Y-DNA and which versions (i.e., "A" or "G"). They even let you browse and/or download a raw data, which I thought is very useful when I do my own research on DNA and genetic history.
They also show you which famous people that you'd be related to and who your cousins are, but frankly, I don't care about that. There are some information there that I can use to better understand myself and to learn more about DNA and genetic make-ups, even if it's partly.
For what it's worth.
