<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6002.18100" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV>I can't speak for 23andme (obviously) but I'd guess their primary focus is medical and genealogical aspects are secondary--but an inevitable part of the whole. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I do know that when the company first started, the husband of the company's co-founder Google's Sergey Brin, was tested and learned he inherited a rare mutation that will greatly predispose him to early onset Parkinson's disease. The site tells you that, in most cases, Parkinson's is not thought to be primarily inherited and is more likely caused by environmental factors. However, in people who carry this rare mutation it IS genetic. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>After learning this, Brin donated a large amount of money to Michael J. Fox's Parkinson research group and some of that money was then granted to 23andme to enable the Parkinson's community to be tested at a nominal fee aiding research into causes and possible cures. Not only is Brin himself at risk but at the time he learned he carried the mutation his wife was pregnant with their first child--who would have a 50% risk of inheriting the gene as well. When they established their company motto "Genetics just got personal" they weren't kidding!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I don't think you can put a pricetag on the value of this information and research. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Joan</DIV> <DIV>PS: I learned a fascinating tidbit from the info on the 23andme site that gives me a better insight into genetic mutations. The ones that stick and get passed along into the population in future generations "stick" for a reason. Ones that have no purpose at all usually just die out. The mutation that results in some Africans being carriers for sickle cell had a side BENEFIT of protecting them from malaria! That is undoubtedly why that mutation "stuck." It is when the gene is doubled upon that it becomes a health issue. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>In a message dated 10/31/2009 4:50:06 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, scott@appletree.com writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>I realize I said the TechCrunch article was harsh, I meant the comments to the article...<BR><BR>I'm just curious how big a market opportunity 23andme thinks their genealogy services is and if they're going to focus on this or their staff cuts are going to affect it.  Clearly, I think everyone agrees, decoding our genes to find physical traits including risks for cancer is immensely valuable.  Personalized medicine and associated health benefits... this is the future.  But I read a lot about disappointed users given that we're basically just not there yet.  On the other hand, I'm now reading about so many really amazing stories of people successfully using 23andme ancestry and relationship finder services.  This is something that is immediately resonating with a lot of people.<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>