Last year, I posted about getting my DNA genotyped by 23andMe to understand my ancestry.
My genetic report arrived last month, and I thought I’d share my results and reflections.
Results
My results were as expected. My genetics are a 50/50 split between East Asian and Western European.
The majority of my East Asian genetics come from Guangdong Province in China, which is where the most of my mum’s side of the family lived prior to emigrating to Malaya, not Malaysia.
Similarly, London and the UK feature heavily in my Western European genetics. This seems weirdly fitting now that I live in London.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the results are the Traits section. The report displays a long list of traits that I have a higher likelihood of exhibiting. Most of them were accurate. Some of the more interesting ones are:
- I’m less likely to experience motion sickness ✔
- I’m less likely to have a fear of public speaking ✔
- I’m likely to have thick hair ✔
- I have a 50/50 chance of being able to match musical pitch ✔
Reflections
23andMe was a great experience. I took some saliva samples and within weeks I received a report with my genetic history. That’s impressive.
Coincidentally, a few friends had also done the test around the same time, and we had fun talking about the traits we do and don’t share.
Through this experience, a few questions popped up:
What happens with my data?
This is obvious, but there is only one of me, and only one DNA sequence that matches mine.
Giving 23andMe the right to analyse and store my unique genetic data is a bit of a trip down creepy lane.
Now, clearly, I was okay with giving that information to 23andMe, but it did make me think: imagine if they were acquired by Pfizer or Bayer or Roche?
What happens to my data following an acquisition? Could it be used for anticipating and developing drugs that I’d need in the future? Is that a good thing? Or is that exploitative?
Some would argue I’m being paranoid, but 23andMe are still trying to figure out how to survive as a business and turn a profit. Thus, I don’t think they’re pondering in great detail about data privacy and ethics. Healthy cashflows allow businesses to spend more time on these topics, so I don’t think this line of reasoning is that far fetched.
Which brings me to my second reflection.
How does 23andMe create a long-term, sustainable business?
23andMe don’t have a follow-on product. They are a ‘one and done’ company right now, and I think that’ll hurt them in the long run.
Getting your DNA genotyped is a niche activity. The market—I’d be willing to bet—is a lot smaller than their pitch decks to Venture Capital firms claim.
In fact, soon after receiving my results, I was sent this article detailing the issues with 23andMe’s non-recurring revenue model.
I predict they’ll eventually get bought by one of the big pharma companies (who can use the data), unless they manage to create a product that has recurring revenue.
I’d love to hear if you have any thoughts on the above, particularly if you think I’m completely wrong.
Note: Thank you, again, to my family for the wonderfully nerdy gift 😉