Leading personal genetics company now offers both health and ancestry information exclusively to Canadians as part of 23andMe's Personal Genome Service®
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, Oct. 1, 2014 /CNW/ - 23andMe, the leading personal genetics company, today announced it now offers both health and ancestry information exclusively to Canadians through the company's Personal Genome Service®. 23andMe's Canadian customers can now access their own genetic information to better understand their health, traits, genetic ancestry and to possibly discover new relatives at 23andMe.ca.
"Our mission is to ensure that people can access, understand and benefit from the human genome — and our Canadian offering truly speaks to that," said Anne Wojcicki, CEO and co-founder of 23andMe. "As we continue to pioneer personal genetics, we are excited to provide Canadian residents with an even deeper understanding of their genetic information to make informed decisions about their health and lifestyle."
In addition to genetic ancestry analysis, all new 23andMe customers in Canada will now have access to 108 health-related reports including genetic risk factors for various health conditions, drug response, trait reports and inherited conditions. Canadian customers who joined 23andMe on November 22, 2013, through September 30, 2014, will also have immediate access to their health information for free.
"Our approach to presenting health information for Canadians has been informed by conversations with a number of leading stakeholders in the scientific community and professional associations. This included meeting with bio-ethicists, medical geneticists, genetic counselors, researchers and various medical professional associations across Canada," said Wojcicki. "The health information available to Canadians focuses on individual genetic markers with well-established associations that have clinical validity and that could be incorporated into the management of an individual's health."
Canadian customers can also choose to participate in 23andMe's unique research programs, helping to accelerate the pace of discovery and advancing understanding of the human genome. Prior to today's announcement, more than 20,000 Canadians have already used 23andMe's Personal Genome Service® to explore their own genetic information, and more than 80 percent of 23andMe's Canadian customers are already actively participating in research.
Further, with the company's official entry into the Canadian market, 23andMe now accepts payment in Canadian dollars and has made significant investments in infrastructure to offer reduced shipping rates for Canadian customers.
23andMe's Personal Genome Service is available for purchase at www.23andMe.ca for $199 CAD plus shipping.
B-roll is available for download at https://edelmanftp.box.com/23andMe-broll
About 23andMe
23andMe, Inc. is the leading personal genetics company dedicated to helping people access, understand and benefit from the human genome. The company's Personal Genome Service® enables individuals in Canada to gain deeper insights into their health and ancestry. The vision for 23andMe is to personalize healthcare by making and supporting meaningful discoveries through genetic research. 23andMe, Inc., was founded in 2006, and the company is advised by a group of renowned experts in the fields of human genetics, bioinformatics and computer science. More information is available at 23andMe.ca. 23andMe's health reports are not cleared by the FDA and can only be purchased in Canada by Canadian residents. US customers may purchase 23andMe's ancestry-only product, which provides access to their uninterpreted raw genetic data as well.
Image with caption: "23andMe Personal Genome Service® saliva collection kit (CNW Group/23andMe)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141001_C2766_PHOTO_EN_6171.jpg
SOURCE: 23andMe
Rosie Shipton, [email protected], 1-800-391-9461
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