We recently determined that a number of new 23andMe customer samples were incorrectly processed by our contracted lab. We want to clarify what happened with the sample errors, how it happened and what we’re doing to prevent it from happening again. Providing each and every one of our customers with accurate data is 23andMe’s number one priority, and we fully realize the gravity of this incident.
After a full investigation from our contracted laboratory and independent confirmation by 23andMe, we have found that the processing mistake was caused by human error and the incorrect placement of a single 96-well plate used in processing samples.
We are uploading the correct data to impacted customers today, after again independently verifying the new results.
Both our contracted laboratory and 23andMe are adding new procedures to prevent this from happening again. Our contracted laboratory has adjusted the mounting process for these 96-well plates and this new adjustment physically prevents any incorrect manual placement of the plates used at this step of processing. As an additional safeguard, 23andMe will collect data regarding sex for all new customers prior to laboratory processing so an additional quality check can be conducted prior to uploading data.
We are committed to continually improving the quality of our processes. We hope this clarifies what has happened and how we intend to prevent this from happening in the future.