You may not have thought about your genome lately, but one day you will and so will your doctor.
In an opinion piece published in the Guardian, Anne Wojcicki, our CEO and co-founder, offered some thoughts about why knowing your own genetic information will become increasingly important for your health.
We’ve already seen how the technology has rapidly advanced offering consumers affordable access to actionable information about their genetics.
Just as with other kinds of health information – your blood pressure, your family medical history and the details of your diet – the information from your genetics can help you and your doctor make the right decisions for your health. As Anne says in her Guardian piece, 23andMe was started in part to empower people and involve them in their own health care. Access to genetic information also helps open the way for more personalized treatments. By aggregating that information and involving people in research, scientists can more quickly gain understanding of the genetic components of disease and speed develop treatments, new drugs and diagnostics.