A brief comment on these suits against the company. 23andMe does not map the entire genome and in that there will always be room for error. It is like other genomic over-the-counter, through the Internet genetic tools – a partial answer, and in that can produce misleading information. That’s why a conversation with a medical professional, your family doctor, should occur if you get results that indicate a genetic risk.

23andMe, however, is making the world of genomics reachable for the masses. And like all entrepreneurial pursuits has come out of the blocks with a technology that will only improve over time if given the chance. The U.S. FDA is right to point out that this type of testing is not up to the standards normally involved in good science.

If you recall a posting I wrote back in July of 2012 about ConnectMyDNA, http://www.21stcentech.com/biomedicine-update-self-discovery-dna-kit-29/, another genomic self-discovery kit, it too provides genetic information but in its information indicates it only looks at 13 genetic markers. 23andMe adds significantly to that number but is nowhere near analyzing the19,000 genes organized on the 22-paired chromosomes that form the human genome.

If you want to learn more about what 23andMe does not test for there are lots of comments on the Internet. This one which 23andMe has made available through its customer service is quite frank about the omissions: https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/202907400-What-health-conditions-are-not-covered-by-23andMe-s-Personal-Genome-Service-