Scientists haven’t agreed on whether blondes indeed have more fun, but at least there is some consensus on what makes their hair blond.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22160" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Blond-Hair-270x300.png" alt="Blond Hair" width="270" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Blond-Hair-270x300.png 270w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Blond-Hair.png 287w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 270px) 100vw, 270px" />


23andMe scientists looking at the biology behind hair color found three genetic variants already known to be strongly associated with having golden locks among 23andMe customers with Northern European ancestry.
The three variants are on or near the genes HERC2, KITLG and SLC24A4. 

<h6>Known Associations</h6>

These findings among 23andMe customers confirm<a href="https://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v39/n12/full/ng.2007.13.html"> known associations</a> reported on in several other published studies over the last few years.
Hair color is a complex trait, meaning more than one genetic variant influences whether a person has light or dark hair. And these three genetic variants by no means account for all the genetic factors that influence hair color. But at least for people with Northern European ancestry they explain a lot.


A pigment molecule called melanin determines the color of your hair. People with higher levels of the brown-black form of melanin have darker hair. But people with the lower levels have lighter hair. About 20 percent of 23andMe customers report having light or dark blond hair.

<h6>Why is this important?</h6>

While blond hair is most common in people of Northern European ancestry, it is also found in people without European ancestry. But the biology behind blond hair in those populations is different. For example, between five to ten percent of<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3481182/"> Solomon Islanders </a>have blond hair that is caused by a single variant in the TYRP1 gene.


Why is it even important to study these kinds of traits you might ask?

Part of the reason researchers look at traits like hair and eye color, is because it provides a broader insight into the biology of complex traits. The color of your hair is not as simple as many might think. For instance, simply having one or two blond hair alleles does not mean that you will have blond hair. In fact, most people with just two blond hair variants don’t have blond hair. Only in people with five or more blond hair alleles do we see a majority of them with light hair.
<h6>Complex Traits</h6>
By studying complex traits like hair color scientists can sometimes gain better understanding about the genetics of other conditions.
Just looking at research about blond hair, for example, has informed scientists about the finely tuned process of gene expression.
<a href="https://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v46/n7/full/ng.2991.html">A 2014 study</a> led by researchers at Stanford looked specifically at the variant nearby, but not in the KITLG gene. The study was fascinating because the researchers showed that  a variant in so-called &#8220;junk&#8221; DNA has a strong influence on the expression of KITLG. This in turn influences hair color. Instead of simply turning on or off expression of the KITLG gene, this variant dialed down the gene expression levels, changing the hair color along a blond to brown gradient.
<div id="attachment_22180" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22180" class="size-large wp-image-22180" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blond_hair_snps-640x196.jpg" alt="The frequencies of three genetic variants associated with blond hair across Eurasia. " width="640" height="196" />The frequencies of three genetic variants associated with blond hair across Eurasia.</div>

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

Blonde on Blonder

If a bumpy ride in the back of a car makes you nauseated, blame it on your genetics, according to the first ever genome-wide association study <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Bethann-Hromatka-2-253x300.jpg" alt="Bethann Hromatka 2" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-21548" width="253" height="300" />


Motion sickness is extremely common. One in three of us is highly susceptible to it, and the condition is very heritable. That means that genetics accounts for a large reason why some of us are more prone to motion sickness than others. 
<h6>Current Estimates</h6>
Estimates indicate that most of a person’s risk for experiencing motion sickness is pegged to their genetics. Motion sickness also tends to be more common in women and younger people.
But even with what we know about the condition, and how common it is, we still don’t fully understand its underlying causes.
New research by 23andMe may change that.
23andMe researchers conducted the first genome-wide association study on motion sickness and found 35 genetic variants that were significantly associated with the condition. Published in Oxford Journals’ <a href="http://hmg.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/01/26/hmg.ddv028.abstract?keytype=ref&#038;ijkey=2ntxck5YUKc8QSA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Human Molecular Genetics</a>, this study is the first to identify the genetic variants associated with this highly heritable condition.
“It’s estimated that up to 70 percent of a person’s risk for motion sickness is due to genetics, but up until now the genetics of motion sickness was poorly understood,” said 23andMe Scientist Bethann Hromatka, one of the study’s authors. “We’ve identified 35 genetic associations with motion sickness that fall into a few different biological categories. Some genetic variants are in or near genes involved in development, including development of the eye and ear. Other variants appear to be involved in neurological processes as well as glucose and insulin regulation.”

<h6>Previous Known Phenotypes</h6>

The study, which involved the consented participation of more than 80,000 23andMe customers, also gives us new insight into the biology of the condition. The work also confirmed previously known phenotypic associations between motion sickness and other conditions such as migraines, vertigo, and morning sickness as well as postoperative nausea and vomiting.


These findings could help provide many new clues about the causes of motion sickness and other related conditions.
Because the study also identified associations between motion sickness and lifestyle the new findings could help researchers identify risk factors  and future treatments.  They know for instance that there is an association between being a poor sleeper and having a propensity for motion sickness. 
The researchers also note that experiencing headaches after drinking red wine is associated with a propensity toward motion sickness. In addition having a good sense of direction and the ability to handle stress are also associated with having a lower risk for motion sickness. While these are all interesting findings, it is difficult to assess causality. For example, does being a sound sleeper make one less susceptible to being motion sick, or vice versa. Or are both related to a third condition?

Genetics found to influence likelihood of motion sickness

So where did that red hair come from? 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>by Kasia Bryc, 23andMe Population Geneticist 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>Most people who see my unruly wild <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-21956 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Kasia1-197x300.jpg" alt="" width="197" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Kasia1-197x300.jpg 197w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Kasia1.jpg 369w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px" /> 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>I’m not.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
As a first generation immigrant from Poland, I don’t have any ancestors from Ireland.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<h2>Recessive Trait</h2>
Yes, really, just take a look at my 23andMe Ancestry Composition results.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
Yet it is true that red hair is strongly tied to Ireland. Over 10 percent of 23andMe customers of Irish heritage, whose four grandparents were born in Ireland, have red hair. In most other parts of continental Europe, red hair is less common, and its frequency tends to hover between one and three percent. 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>For me, my red hair holds special significance. Both my parents had brown hair, yet both my brother and I have red hair, thanks to the joys of recessive inheritance (No, we’re not adopted. And yes, our family relationships have been confirmed genetically through 23andMe). 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>Red hair acts, for the most part, like a recessive trait, meaning that you need two copies of the red-hair genetic variant to see red hair. Which explains why my parents, each carrying one copy of the variant, didn’t have red hair, but could pass it on to their children by chance, which they did, twice. 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-22056 size-larger" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Kasias-Ancestry-Composition-880x430.jpg" alt="" width="880" height="430" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Kasias-Ancestry-Composition-880x430.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Kasias-Ancestry-Composition-300x147.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Kasias-Ancestry-Composition-768x375.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Kasias-Ancestry-Composition-1024x500.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Kasias-Ancestry-Composition-1180x577.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px" />
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
As a child I puzzled over my hair color – it seemed rather poor camouflage, and surely ill-adapted – how could a trait as odd as red hair have come to be? 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>That early fascination with human traits and evolution helped lead me to a career as a population geneticist. Nowadays I love wrangling with just such questions as I study the genetics of people across the globe. 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<h2><code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code> 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>The red hair gene 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code></h2>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>To dive into the genetics of red hair, we first have to understand the function of a gene called the Melanocortin 1 Receptor (MC1R). MC1R acts as a lever that toggles the cells to produce a brown or black pigment instead of producing a reddish yellow pigment. The color of the pigment, and how much is produced, leads to much of the diversity in appearance of humans around the world.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
Genetic mutations can change the normal function of MC1R, leading to a loss of function. That means that the protein the gene makes is changed so much that it doesn’t work as it should. So the pigment-producing cells don’t get their signal to make black-brown pigment that is so protective against the sun’s harmful UV rays,and instead produce more reddish yellow pigment, which, in your hair, gives it a red color.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
About 90 percent of 23andMe customers who report having red hair carry at least one of three of the most common genetic variants associated with red hair variants. Though there are other known and unknown variants involved in determining human pigmentation.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<div class="copy-paste-block"><code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<h2 class="tablepress-table-name tablepress-table-name-id-1">Do you carry one of these variants associated with red hair?</h2>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<div id="tablepress-1_wrapper" class="dataTables_wrapper no-footer"><code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<table id="tablepress-1" class="tablepress tablepress-id-1 dataTable no-footer" role="grid" width="473">
<thead>
<tr class="row-1 odd" role="row">
<th class="column-1 sorting_disabled" colspan="1" rowspan="1">MC1R variant</th>
<th class="column-2 sorting_disabled" colspan="1" rowspan="1">SNP name</th>
<th class="column-3 sorting_disabled" colspan="1" rowspan="1">Red hair allele</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody class="row-hover">
<tr class="row-2 even" role="row">
<td class="column-1">R151C</td>
<td class="column-2"></td>
<td class="column-3">T</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-3 odd" role="row">
<td class="column-1">R160W</td>
<td class="column-2"></td>
<td class="column-3">T</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-4 even" role="row">
<td class="column-1">D294H</td>
<td class="column-2">i3002507</td>
<td class="column-3">C</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
</div>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
Three variants highly associated with red hair among 23andMe customers. Not yet a customer? Visit our store!
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"></code>
</div>
<h2><code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>The evolution of red hair 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code></h2>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>For a long time, red hair was thought to be an adaptive trait. Not the hair color itself, but rather, red hair and lighter skin pigmentation are a bit of a package deal, and this lighter pigmentation was thought to be adaptive in northern Europe. Lighter skin color allows the skin to produce sufficient vitamin D when levels of light are low, when you don’t get sufficient levels of the vitamin through your food (such as from fish). So if you were a farmer in, say, Ireland, lighter skin would help you keep your vitamin D levels sufficiently high.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
However, there has been a surprising dearth of evidence for positive selection of red hair in Europeans, and there seems to be no association between red hair and the evolution of light skin in European populations. In contrast, the gene SLC24A5, which is involved with skin pigmentation, has a strong signal of selection. So it seems that for red hair, the vitamin D hypothesis isn’t really substantiated by science. 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<h2><code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code> 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>Lack of selection 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code></h2>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>Instead, the current theory most evolutionary scientists believe suggests that selective pressure to maintain proper protective black-brown pigmentation is highly constrained in regions closer to the equator that have strong sun exposure. The production of black-brown pigment, necessitating a functioning MC1R gene, helps shield cells from ultraviolet radiation that can increase the risk of skin cancer. 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>In the far north, it seems, that selection may be relaxed. Comparing the human MC1R gene sequence to a chimpanzee’s genome suggests there was a lot of functional constraint on this gene&#8230; right up until humans migrated out of Africa. Mutations in MC1R that take away production of black-brown pigment may matter less where the sunlight isn’t as powerful. As a result, we observe these mutations, and the accompanying red hair. Sometimes, the mutations drift up in frequency by chance, and red hair becomes (more) common. 
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>For an even more nuanced contemplation of skin pigmentation and adaptation, and its possible relationship to the switch from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to farming, check out this read.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-22143 size-larger" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Red_hair_map-880x350.jpg" alt="" width="880" height="350" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Red_hair_map-880x350.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Red_hair_map-300x119.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Red_hair_map-768x306.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Red_hair_map-1024x407.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Red_hair_map-1180x469.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Red_hair_map.jpg 1272w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px" />
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<h2>Where are 23andMe customers with red hair from?</h2>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>A closer look at the three most common red hair variants among 23andMe customers shows that red hair allele frequency in Europe does correlate with distance from the equator. The variant that is most common (and is involved in a third of red hair among 23andMe customers) is R151C. Unsurprisingly, this variant is most common in individuals whose grandparents were born in Ireland and in the UK.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
Over 50 percent of 23andMe redheads carry at least one copy of this variant. Are you one of them?
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
The variant D294H is also most frequent in Ireland, but overall it is less prevalent, and found in a limited range: mostly Ireland, the UK, and France, Switzerland, and Belgium.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
Unlike the first two, the variant that I carry, R160W, isn’t most common in Ireland. Instead, it is found at its highest frequencies in Sweden and Lithuania, as well as other parts of Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
So what do these maps of variants tell us about why red hair might have come to be?
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
Well, there does seem to be a correlation between where the variants lie – each variant is most frequent above the 35th parallel, which suggests that there may really be a relaxed selective constraint on MC1R function this far north of the equator.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<h2><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22093" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/redhair-world-300x300.jpg" alt="redhair world" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/redhair-world-300x300.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/redhair-world-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/redhair-world-768x768.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/redhair-world-880x880.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/redhair-world-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/redhair-world-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/redhair-world-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/redhair-world-980x980.jpg 980w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/redhair-world.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Research</h2>
In researching traits among 23andMe customers, I learned a lot about red hair. I was amazed at how the genetics of just one trait are so complex. For example, not everyone with two MC1R variants reports having red hair. Isn’t that how recessive traits should work?
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
But instead, red hair variants aren’t completely penetrant, meaning they don’t always cause the trait. The variant that I carry, R160W, is especially illustrative: only 50 percent of individuals that carry two copies of this variant have red hair.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
On a personal level, I felt reassured that what I knew about my family’s history was consistent with what I found to be true about red hair. But even more, I realized just how widespread red hair variants are across Europe, especially its northern reaches.
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code>

Kasia Bryc

No, I’m Not Irish

Before a medicine reaches pharmacy shelves, it goes through extensive and rigorous evaluation to prove it is safe and <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21214" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/IBD-IMage-.jpg" alt="IBD IMage" width="240" height="160" />effective.
We want to shed some light on a few of the steps involved in drug development and highlight how the work being done by 23andMe with the <a href="https://www.23andme.com/ibd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inflammatory Bowel Disease Study</a> can help inform this process in the future. 

<h6>
The basics 
</h6>

On average, it takes somewhere between 11 and 14 years for a drug to go through development. This extensive process can cost up to $5 billion. Of all the medicines that start the clinical development process, less than 10 percent make it through all the stages of clinical trials and through Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The majority of the drug
<div id="attachment_22135" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22135" class="size-medium wp-image-22135" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Global-Drug-Dev-Spending-300x223.jpg" alt="Image: The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation " width="300" height="223" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Global-Drug-Dev-Spending-300x223.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Global-Drug-Dev-Spending.jpg 548w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Image: The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation</div>
development timeline is taken up by conducting the clinical trials (6-11 years), and one of the most time-intensive parts of running clinical trials is finding study volunteers. Only 7 percent of Americans say their doctor has ever suggested they consider participating in a clinical research study.

<h6>
What happens before clinical trials? 
</h6>

Before a medicine enters clinical development, it goes through years of testing in the laboratory, using cell culture and animals to better understand how the drug works and to ensure it’s safe.

<h6>
Clinical Trials: Phase I to Phase III 
</h6>

The very first study of a new medicine in people is called a “phase I” study. This type of study is very small – just a handful of volunteers are given the drug, starting at very low amounts. The dose is increased incrementally until they find a dose that is safe and also high enough to be considered active.
<div id="attachment_22136" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22136" class="size-medium wp-image-22136" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Time-in-years-to-FDA-approval-300x211.jpg" alt="Image: The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation " width="300" height="211" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Time-in-years-to-FDA-approval-300x211.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Time-in-years-to-FDA-approval.jpg 566w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Image: The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation</div>
The next study, a “phase II” trial, is larger and looks for safety as well as efficacy. Essentially this phase looks at whether the drug does what it is meant to do. Does it improve the symptoms or alleviate the disease?
A “phase III” study is the largest still and often includes a “control” group – volunteers who are given the standard-of-care medications (not the experimental drug) for comparison.  The FDA then reviews the data collected from these trials. The FDA can then request additional studies, or it can “clear” the drug for use (meaning the manufacturer can go ahead and sell the drug.)
<h6>
How can genetics impact the drug development process?</h6>
Newly approved medicines provide benefits to many people. They alleviate symptoms, or sometimes cure a disease. However, they don’t work well for everyone. Many people take medicines which don’t help their condition, or sometimes lead to unacceptable side effects. There is no way to know which medicines will work for which patients. The method of finding the right treatment for any patient is still very much a “trial and error” process – the doctor keeps prescribing different medicines until he or she finds one that works.


This is where genetics may play a role in improving the process. We know that genetics can influence how people respond to drugs. By studying the genetics underlying diseases, such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), we hope to provide more insights into how IBD differs between people. It is possible that there are certain genetic variants which can predict what type of drug would be most effective, or cause the least side effects.
A better understanding of the genetics of IBD can change how clinical trials are done, which can in turn bring medicines to the market faster and provide guidance to physicians about which patients will most benefit from which drugs.
<div id="attachment_22134" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22134" class="size-medium wp-image-22134" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Examples-of-Drugs-Approved-300x241.jpg" alt="Image: The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation " width="300" height="241" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Examples-of-Drugs-Approved-300x241.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Examples-of-Drugs-Approved.jpg 528w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Image: The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation</div>
Patients who enroll in clinical trials of new medicines must meet several specific eligibility criteria. For IBD, right now those criteria may involve a list of medications the person must have taken (and failed) and/or a specific range of acceptable lab results.
In the future, the eligibility criteria for an IBD trial may include lists of specific genetic variants that participants need to have in order to enroll in the study along with other precise measures of disease such as the composition of their microbiome (the types of bacteria in their gut). In this way, only those patients who would most benefit from the experimental medicine would be enrolled, sparing patients with no hope for efficacy the potential side effects of the drug and allowing them to find other clinical trials better suited for their IBD.


Precision medicine (prescribing the right medication for the right patient at the right time) is already a reality in the treatment of many cancers. Examples of such drugs are: trastuzumab (Herceptinâ“‡) for the treatment of HER2 positive breast cancer, cetuximab (Erbituxâ“‡) for the treatment of colorectal cancer which carries a mutation in the EGFR gene but not the KRAS gene, or crizotinib (Xalkoriâ“‡) for the treatment of lung cancers with an ALK gene fusion.
The reality of genetically targeted medicines is still not yet realized for IBD, but we are helping lay the groundwork through our research efforts and collaboration with Pfizer, a manufacturer of new treatments for IBD.
Observational studies (where no drugs or treatments are involved) such as our IBD study play an important role in providing a basic understanding of the disease. We hope the results of this study will directly inform Pfizer’s drug development efforts and help us move just a step closer to the future of precision medicine approaches in IBD.

Drug Development’s Long And Winding Road

The author <a href="http://www.christinekenneally.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Christine Kenneally</a> – who wrote the wonderful book The <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-21767" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Invisible-History-of-the-Human-Race-199x300.jpg" alt="Invisible History of the Human Race" width="199" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Invisible-History-of-the-Human-Race-199x300.jpg 199w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Invisible-History-of-the-Human-Race.jpg 230w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px" />Invisible History of the Human Race – graciously agreed to participate in a Twitter chat we are hosting on January 21st at 4pm EST.
Her book had some delightful insights into how our DNA, our personal history and our environment shape us. Using personal stories, including her own, she conveys the complicated history of genetic science.
A former academic Christine, who has written for the New Yorker and is a contributing editor at Buzzfeed, said she became a journalist, in part, because it allowed her to expand the kind of questions she was exploring as a scientist.
“I became increasingly frustrated by the narrowing of interests that my academic career seemed to require,” she said. “Journalism allowed me to keep asking the questions that interested me, all the big and the little ones.” 

The beauty of her book is that Christine uses personal stories including her <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/australia-books-blog/2014/nov/06/christine-kenneally-i-was-thrilled-to-find-out-im-a-convict-princess" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">own family’s story</a> to explain some of the issue around genetic testing.
“I knew that I cared deeply about some topics that many other people found pretty dry, and I wanted to understand why they mattered to me,” she said. “Asking that question led me into the past and back to my family. I also wanted to find a way to connect with readers who wouldn’t normally be interested in science. Working out why I cared helped me think about the ways that they might.”
But her book also looks at how the advances in genetics broadens our understanding of biology, evolution and medicine.
“DNA won’t change everything about medicine, but I do think it is going to have a huge impact on much of it,” Christine said. “I feel deeply excited that my children are going to be able to access medical information that may help them make choices about their (health). I hope I live long enough to see what happens. It’s so fascinating.”
Join what promises to be a stimulating and interesting conversation with Christine. We want to hear from you. So ask Christine a few questions or simply track our chat on Twitter with the hashtag #23BookClub. You can enter for a chance to win a copy of the book.

Let’s Talk

In the fading black-and-white photo Diane Silberman Berger is about four years old and walking next to her mother along a sidewalk in downtown Spokane.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22106" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Diane-300x216.jpg" alt="Diane" width="300" height="216" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Diane-300x216.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Diane-768x554.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Diane-1024x739.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Diane-880x635.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Diane-1180x851.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Diane.jpg 1930w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />


Taken by a street photographer in the late 1930s, the picture shows Diane holding tightly to her mother’s hand as they talk. It’s one of the few reminders Diane has of her mom.


“My mother died when I was nine years old,” she says holding the edge of the snapshot.


A profound loss, but it was made that much worse because Diane also lost complete contact with her mother’s family – all the aunts, uncles and cousins who made up some of the happy memories of her early childhood.
Despite decades of trying, Diane was never was able to find her mother’s family and reconnect.
Eventually, Diane gave up looking, thinking that perhaps that connection was lost forever.
Then one day her daughter looked at her 23andMe results, and that 70 years of longing to find her family ended.


“It’s just a miracle, it’s an absolute miracle,” said Diane. “I cry tears of happiness all the time now.”
<div id="attachment_22104" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22104" class="size-medium wp-image-22104" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Barrie-and-Diane-300x200.jpg" alt="Diane and her daughter Barrie." width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Barrie-and-Diane-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Barrie-and-Diane-768x513.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Barrie-and-Diane-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Barrie-and-Diane-880x588.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Barrie-and-Diane-1180x789.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Diane and her daughter Barrie.</div>
<h6>The Separation</h6>
Diane’s story starts back in the middle of the Depression, when her mother and father were forced to move the family from their home in Connecticut to Washington State for a job. Diane’s mother had a big family, and Diane remembers visits with her aunts, uncles and cousins.  Her mother was close to her siblings, but when her mother died suddenly in 1941 Diane lost contact.
The reasons were in part because of geography, but also because of the war and because Diane’s father remarried. Diane loved her stepmother and she had a stepbrother with whom she was close, but she said she always felt that something was missing.
“People who have family don’t know what this is like,” Diane said, “(but) I sort of felt like an outsider sometimes.”
<h6>Starting the Search</h6>
As an adult Diane started searching for her mother’s family on her own with the information that she had. It wasn’t much, a name of one of her uncles, Sam Kaplan.
“Over the years we hired detectives and genealogists to try to track the family down but my mom had so little information, we eventually gave up,” said Diane’s daughter, Barrie.
And that would have been it if Barrie hadn’t tested with 23andMe. An early adopter, Barrie had tested out of curiosity. It had been awhile since she’d looked at her results when in 2014 she logged in, and noticed she’d gotten messages from someone inquiring about a close relative match. Sending messages back and forth, Barrie and her close match – Bram Boroson –tried to figure out how they were related.
<div id="attachment_22102" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22102" class="size-medium wp-image-22102" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Bram-300x229.jpg" alt="Bram Boroson" width="300" height="229" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Bram-300x229.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Bram-768x585.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Bram-1024x780.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Bram-880x670.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Bram-1180x899.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Bram.jpg 1680w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Bram Boroson</div>
<h6>Finding Bram</h6>
Bram, who is a physics professor, said he signed up mostly because he was simply interested in getting a DNA test from a scientific point of view.
“Only later did I find out about this whole social aspect of it,” he said. “That you could be connected with people who are related to you. ”
It fascinated him. And seeing the connection with Barrie, who is a first cousin once removed, made him want to know more.
“I just saw that there was someone out there who was sharing, you know, more chunks of DNA than anyone else,” said Bram.
<h6>Making Connections</h6>
So he reached out. He and Barrie began exchanging bits of information trying to learn more about their family connection. They told each other a little bit about their family histories, where family members had lived over the generations. It’s when they shared some of their family names and Bram mentioned the name Kaplan that Barrie’s heart skipped a beat. She called her mom.
“What was your mother Martha’s last name?” Barrie asked. “Kaplan.”
Barrie didn’t want to jump the gun. She wanted to be sure. She got some more information from Bram and learned from Bram that his mother’s maiden name was the same as her grandmother’s maiden name.  Then she talked to Bram’s mother, Rebecca who remembered her father talking about Barrie’s grandmother, Diane’s mom. That’s when she knew, said Barrie. She called her mom.
“Are you sitting down?” she asked. “I found them.”
<h6>Elation</h6>
Diane was overwhelmed.
“Are you sure?” she asked.

		<style type="text/css">
			#gallery-1 {
				margin: auto;
			}
			#gallery-1 .gallery-item {
				float: left;
				margin-top: 10px;
				text-align: center;
				width: 33%;
			}
			#gallery-1 img {
				border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
			}
			#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {
				margin-left: 0;
			}
			/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */
		</style>
		<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-22099 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Family-Tree1-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-22113" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Family-Tree1-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Family-Tree1-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Family-Tree1-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Family-Tree1-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Family-Tree1-980x980.jpg 980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />
			</dt>
				<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-22113'>
				Filling in the family tree.
				</dd></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-family-tree-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-22114" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-family-tree-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-family-tree-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-family-tree-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-family-tree-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-family-tree-980x980.jpg 980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />
			</dt>
				<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-22114'>
				Diane, second from right, with her cousins from right Marilyn, Rebecca and Miriam on her right.
				</dd></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-looking-at-old-photo-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-22115" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-looking-at-old-photo-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-looking-at-old-photo-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-looking-at-old-photo-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-looking-at-old-photo-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-looking-at-old-photo-980x980.jpg 980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />
			</dt>
				<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-22115'>
				Diane, left, with her cousins Marilyn and Miriam.
				</dd></dl> <dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Hands-Diane-Rebecca-Miriam-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-22116" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Hands-Diane-Rebecca-Miriam-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Hands-Diane-Rebecca-Miriam-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Hands-Diane-Rebecca-Miriam-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Hands-Diane-Rebecca-Miriam-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Hands-Diane-Rebecca-Miriam-980x980.jpg 980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />
			</dt>
				<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-22116'>
				Cousins, Rebecca, Diane and Miriam at the Kaplan reunion in New York City.
				</dd></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-22117" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cousins-980x980.jpg 980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />
			</dt>
				<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-22117'>
				Rebecca, Diane and Miriam.
				</dd></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Old-photos-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-22109" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Old-photos-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Old-photos-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Old-photos-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Old-photos-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Old-photos-980x980.jpg 980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />
			</dt>
				<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-22109'>
				Kaplan family photos.
				</dd></dl> 
		</div>

Barrie was sure, and she walked her mother through the connections. She told her mom what Rebecca, Diane’s first cousin and Bram’s mother, had said. Rebecca had said that her dad described Diane’s mother as his “favorite sister.” And Diane and Barrie learned that during all those years, it wasn’t just Diane who was looking for her mother’s lost family; they were looking for her too. Rebecca’s sister Miriam tears up when she talks about it.
“My sister and I grew up knowing that we had people in Seattle, or in Washington State,” Miriam said. “We only knew that my father told us that his sister Martha had a child before she died.”
<h6>Comfort in Knowing</h6>
But they didn’t know how to find Diane. Hearing all this helped Diane. Diane also learned more about her mother’s family and she got to see photos of her mother and her mother’s siblings. She was so young when her mother died that she actually didn’t know for sure how many aunts and uncles she had. It turns out her mother had six brothers and sisters. And they each had children of their own, who are now spread across the country. The oldest first cousin is 87, just a few years older than Diane – the youngest, a 22 month-old second cousin. Barrie said she’d always thought she had a small family.
“But I guess I was wrong,” she said. The “Kaplan Kin” set up a Facebook page to connect all the branches of the family and then in November of 2014, just before Thanksgiving, they gathered in New York City. They invited Diane and Barrie to come.
“It’s not really a reunion for us, but a union because we were meeting for the first time,” said Barrie. Diane and Barrie met Bram, his mother Rebecca and Miriam, Rebecca’s sister.
The Kaplans welcomed Diane, Barrie and extended Seattle relatives into the family.
“That desire for a connection was there but without the DNA it wouldn’t have happened,” said Bram.
At the cafe in New York where they met, the family members sat and talked about their parents and grandparents who had long ago passed away. They tried to fill in the some of the gaps in the family history, mapped out the family tree and took snapshots of their own. For Diane who had yearned for so long to reconnect with her family, it was a miracle of science.
“We have this family now, this big welcoming family,” she said.

I Found Them

This week 23andMe announced a collaboration with Pfizer Inc, allowing researchers with the drug maker to leverage 23andMe’s unique platform to conduct genome-wide associations studies, surveys and clinical trial recruitment.
The news follows a collaboration begun over the summer between 23andMe and Pfizer to enroll 10,000 people in a study to explore the genetic factors associated with the onset, progression, severity and response to treatment for <a href="https://www.23andme.com/ibd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inflammatory Bowel Disease</a>.
The collaboration with Pfizer – as well as work with academic researchers and other companies such as Genentech, <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reset-therapeutics-announces-expansion-of-its-drug-discovery-platform-via-an-agreement-with-23andme-incorporating-the-genetics-of-circadian-rhythms-300017159.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reset Therapeutics</a> and others – is part of an effort by 23andMe to offer qualified and approved scientists outside of 23andMe a chance to leverage our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/research/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">unique research platform</a> for discovery.

23andMe’s Recent Research Collaborations

By Anne Wojcicki


I’m excited about 2015! We are starting the New Year with new customers around the world, new research collaborations and many employees working diligently on our FDA submission.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22084" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-250x300.jpg" alt="Anne_Color_ Seated" width="250" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-250x300.jpg 250w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-768x923.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-852x1024.jpg 852w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-732x880.jpg 732w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-982x1180.jpg 982w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" />


As CEOs do, I look into the future to make sure we are working towards our mission: to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome. I also want to make sure we remain committed to our vision of accelerating the pace of significant genetic discoveries. As we head into 2015, I will continue to be focused on 23andMe initiatives that fulfill our mission and vision.
Our focus on research will grow as we partner with academics and scientists, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies globally, to use genetic data for good. Our research team will collaborate with new partners to find better drug therapies, opportunities for disease prevention, disease treatments and ultimately, genetic paths to cures. This is an important part of why I started the company – to make sure we empower ourselves and empower others. Both are equally important.
 


I’m excited about the possibility of new discoveries coming out of our collective data for research, and yet I also believe it’s important you are in control of your data. If you do not want to participate in research, you can always opt-out. You own your data.
It’s been an exciting eight years since we launched 23andMe. I have heard from thousands of you about how 23andMe has impacted your life. As we approach our millionth customer, we are planning a celebration that demonstrates the power and potential of individuals owning   their DNA.
Do you have a story to share? We would love to hear from you and make you part of our celebration. Send your story to <a href="https://23me.wufoo.com/forms/z1ngt56e18lv5ed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tellannemystory@23andme.com.</a>
 
I wish you the best for 2015.

Anne Wojcicki

A Note To Our Customers About The New Year

Over the summer 23andMe launched <a href="https://www.23andme.com/ibd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a collaborative study</a> with Pfizer to study the research inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).


We&#8217;ve been encouraged by the number of people diagnosed with either Crohn&#8217;s disease and ulcerative colitis who have joined the study.
On top of the research we&#8217;re doing, we also want to raise awareness about   these debilitating digestive <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-large wp-image-21972" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/08052014_IBD_Infographic_Rd18-01-1-249x768.jpg" alt="08052014_IBD_Infographic_Rd18-01-1" width="249" height="768" />conditions and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ibd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inflammatory Bowel Disease</a> (IBD) more broadly.
More than 1.4 million Americans suffer from IBD, while in Europe two in every 1,000 people are affected. The incidence and prevalence of IBD, is rising even in Asia where the rates have historically been low.
Not to be confused with irritable bowel syndrome, IBD is a very serious and sometimes crippling condition. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, bleeding, and severe weight loss.

<div style="float: left; text-align: justified; width: 300px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">
In order to participate in the first study within the IBD community, you must meet all six criteria below: 
Eligible Individuals 
1. You&#8217;ve been diagnosed with Crohn&#8217;s disease or ulcerative colitis by a qualified physician. 
2. You&#8217;re willing to submit a saliva sample for DNA testing and complete online surveys related to your condition. 
3. You have access to the internet. 
4. You are at least 6 years old (minors under 18 require parental consent to enroll). 
5. You are not a current 23andMe customer.* 
6. You reside in the United States.
*If you are a current 23andMe customer, learn how you can participate here.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-21220" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Learn-More-300x99.jpg" alt="Learn More" width="300" height="99" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Learn-More-300x99.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Learn-More.jpg 744w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
</div>

Latest Posts — Page 117