When <a href="http://www.valeriejarrettbook.com/">Valerie Jarrett</a> was in her early 30s, everything was finally going according to plan. She had a law degree from the University of Michigan, a career at a prestigious firm, a large office overlooking Lake Michigan, and a husband and beloved daughter. 
So why, on a hot summer day in 1987, did Valerie suddenly burst into tears in her office? 
“On that day,” she said, “I asked myself: ‘Is this my life, or do I want to pivot away from this perfect plan on paper that is a nightmare in reality?’”
That moment of reckoning set her on a winding course, leading from city government all the way to the White House, where she worked as senior advisor for President Obama from 2009 to 2017. 
She shared this story and others during a fireside chat with <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/news/melinda-king/">Melinda King</a>, director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for 23andMe. 
Their hour-long conversation, in front of an audience of 23andMe employees over Zoom, touched on a variety of topics, including Valerie’s belief in the next generation; the “uplifting” possibility of a Black woman joining the Supreme Court; the pitfalls of cancel culture; the critical role of inclusion in diversity work; and the real benefit she gets from her daily workouts. The exchange below has been edited for clarity and brevity.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-29567" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Valerie-Jarrett-Headshot-JPG_square.jpg" alt="Valerie Jarrett headshot" width="1920" height="1429" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Valerie-Jarrett-Headshot-JPG_square.jpg 1920w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Valerie-Jarrett-Headshot-JPG_square-300x223.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Valerie-Jarrett-Headshot-JPG_square-768x572.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Valerie-Jarrett-Headshot-JPG_square-1024x762.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Valerie-Jarrett-Headshot-JPG_square-880x655.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Valerie-Jarrett-Headshot-JPG_square-1180x878.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" />
<h6>On creating a workplace culture of inclusion for Black employees:</h6>
Start at home. Start within your company. Listen to the people who work there, and do it in a way that they feel comfortable. Be authentic – you need to actually care. Have them tell you their stories. 
I love storytelling; it&#8217;s a big piece of what we do at the Obama Foundation because it humanizes the issues. So then it&#8217;s not just about statistics – it becomes, ‘this is my story, and what I’ve been through and this is what I need to thrive in this environment.’ 
If you truly want to create an inclusive culture, then you have to be willing to listen, willing to check yourself and say, ‘well, have I really made an effort to have diverse friends? What does the senior level of this company look like?’ Because when people come in the door of your company, it’s hard to be what they can’t see. 
<h6>On her source of inspiration and optimism:</h6>
I draw inspiration from the younger generation. It was one of the reasons why President Obama was able to entice me to run the Obama Foundation, even though I was in a stage of my life when I was focused on being a grandmother and waking up every day doing exactly what I wanted to do. I initially agreed to do it as a favor until he found someone permanent. Then I started spending time with our young global leaders from Asia, Africa, and Europe and students at Columbia University and the University of Chicago. They&#8217;re so smart and strategic, they think outside of the box, and they are hopeful in a realistic way. They give me an enormous amount of inspiration.  
Recognizing that I stand on the shoulder of my ancestors and people who come before me, I know that I want to have sturdy shoulders for the next generation. So I will impart what I’ve learned, which they are free to accept or disregard. I believe our job is to make their life easier so they can tackle some of the big challenges of life.
<h6>On the pitfalls of cancel culture and the value of different perspectives:</h6>
Who was more unhelpful to the Obama Administration than Rupert Murdoch? But guess what, Rupert Murdoch cared about immigration reform. And I worked very closely with him on that. Part of what you have to recognize – if you’re true to wanting change – is this isn&#8217;t about you; this is about getting the job done. And it doesn’t taint or diminish you to work with people you may disagree with on 99 issues if you can agree on one. 
I worry that the temptation is to cancel anyone who doesn&#8217;t fit into a nice little package. But that&#8217;s not how we get things done. And it&#8217;s not how we get to know one another, which is part of the elixir of life – relationships. And I think the relationships made of strange bedfellows are even more interesting, and they&#8217;re more complicated. I encourage everyone to come out of their comfort zone and not just turn someone off because they don’t agree with you 100 percent, because, first of all, there&#8217;s a lot more grey in a lot of areas than that, and we get more done when we do things together.
<h6>On President Biden’s plan to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court:</h6>
I appreciate his desire for that diversity, and I&#8217;m really proud, for example, that when he and President Obama were in office, President Obama appointed 26 Black women to the bench. Now there&#8217;s a real treasure trove of women to choose from, not to mention those not on the bench who are just as qualified. The pipeline is a lot stronger today than it has been historically –  I think that&#8217;s a great thing. 
President Biden has received some backlash for saying it will be a Black woman, but the message he&#8217;s sending is, ‘I think a Black woman in that environment would be a healthy thing right now.’
I can&#8217;t wait to see who he selects, and I think it will be uplifting for us to have that representation. Representation matters. I had the privilege of working on Justice Sonia Sotomayor&#8217;s Supreme Court selection and confirmation, and the Latino community was euphoric; they felt like someone who is going to be making decisions that impact their life finally understood their story. And I think for the credibility of our judiciary, that&#8217;s an important step.
<h6>On listening to that quiet voice within:</h6>
Each of us should ask – ‘what replenishes me’? At a certain age, you should know yourself and know what makes you feel better and healthy. For me, I exercise every morning. Now, I do not enjoy exercise. The happiest moment of my day is when I&#8217;m done. But I know it&#8217;s good for me. It&#8217;s an hour I have to myself – my phone’s not ringing, I&#8217;m not looking at texts; it just settles me. 
And I also love my friends and family. When I&#8217;m in Chicago, my mom, who&#8217;s 93, has this Sunday dinner with all our cousins. (I&#8217;m an only child, so my cousins are like my siblings). At the end of that dinner, I just feel better. And when I was in Washington, I did that with my girlfriends. So do what makes you feel good to replenish yourself.
I don&#8217;t believe in work-life balance, just like I don&#8217;t believe in 50/50 relationships or that you can have it all simultaneously. I think we set ourselves up with completely unrealistic expectations. We just have to figure out how to give ourselves a little bit of a break and get back in the game. It&#8217;s easier to do that if you think what you&#8217;re doing is of value. Try to find a job where you feel like you&#8217;re adding value; that&#8217;s very satisfying. And it can be adding value in whatever ways make you fulfilled. Don&#8217;t look to someone else to tell you what will work for you.
That&#8217;s one of the things I realized that day I was in my office crying. I had been living the life that everyone else thought was a great life. But the only voice that actually matters is your voice – that quiet voice inside of you.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

“You have to be willing to listen,” Valerie Jarrett on Creating an Inclusive Culture

Blog editor’s note: This #BlackHistoryMonth, 23andMe employees are celebrating joy and resilience in the Black and African diaspora through events,<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ2D0Z6JKWe/"> art</a>, and conversations. We’ve also curated a series of guest blogs about people who embody that joy and resilience – and are harnessing these strengths to uplift their communities and create a better future.
By Imani Mixon
Cherice Harrison-Nelson’s hair is wrapped in a black and wine head scarf with a red feather peeking out from the side. The 62-year-old artist and educator has on medium sized hoop earrings, a black, red, and gold beaded necklace and a festive butterfly brooch. 
Even over Zoom, she looks royal. 
Cherice regularly honors her lineage as a Mardi Gras Indian and a member of the maroon society of self-emancipated Black folks by crafting and wearing intricately handmade traditional suits. Her late father, Donald Harrison, Sr. ushered the family into the Mardi Gras Indian tradition as Big Chief of the Guardian of the Flames, a group he formed to emphasize the importance of Mardi Gras traditions that affirm Blackness.  Cherice continues this work as Big Queen of the Guardian of the Flames and is commonly known as Queen Reesie.
In 1994, she was awarded a Fulbright that allowed her to travel to Ghana and Senegal to further research African cultural traditions. Although our mid-afternoon interview features one of the more tame examples of her unique attire, meeting her feels like a joyful occasion.
“As the Guardians of the Flame, maroon society, I feel like we have emancipated ourselves from all the ideals, both literal and metaphorically that restrict us in ways that we don&#8217;t have to accept. I don&#8217;t want to be tethered to anything except the love for my family and my community. I want to have free will, to dress the way I want,” says Cherice .
It’s no surprise that Cherice ’s audacious attire draws attention, but one day back in 2016 it earned her a new friend. 
<div id="attachment_29523" style="width: 1930px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-29523" class="wp-image-29523 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8186.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8186.jpg 1920w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8186-300x169.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8186-768x432.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8186-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8186-880x495.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8186-1180x664.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /> Photo by Trenity Thomas </div>
<h6>Sisterly Love</h6>
She met Skyla Hearn, a Chicago-based archivist and special collections librarian, while attending a <a href="https://chscsummit.net/">Cultural Heritage and Social Change Summit</a>. Harrison-Nelson was preparing to lead an educational performance about the traditions and history of Mardi Gras Indians and she was wearing a purple lace dress and a matching Nigerian gele. Hearn says she knew Queen Reesie was someone special. 
Hearn and Harrisson-Nelson grew to become sisterfriends — the kind you meet for dinner when they’re in town, the kind who can send texts that would be shockingly probing if they came from someone else, but are received as alarmingly sweet text check-ins instead. 
“Are you being radical in your self-care?”
<div id="attachment_29520" style="width: 1930px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-29520" class="wp-image-29520 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8151.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8151.jpg 1920w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8151-300x169.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8151-768x432.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8151-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8151-880x495.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TJT_8151-1180x664.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /> Photo by Trenity Thomas </div>
“Do you need help with that?” 
Hearn knows that the warm accountability of friendship is what has kept folks alive for generations. Cherice knows this too; it isn’t the first time that someone lovingly inquired about her health. 
On June 23, 2011, Cherice recalls being at a Winn Dixie grocery store across the Mississippi River from her downtown neighborhood in New Orleans’ 9th Ward when she received a call from her doctor&#8217;s office. 
“I have the results of your test. Do you want them over the phone or do you want to come in?,” asked the nurse on the other end of the line. 
Cherice agreed to hear her results on the phone, but as soon as the nurse began speaking, her words came out in a muffled garble, it sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher. 
“Wait, let me call my sister and you tell her, whatever you&#8217;re saying, that sounds like gibberish to me,” Cherice  interjected.
Cherice gave the nurse her younger sister Cara’s number, then Cara relayed the conversation she’d had with the nurse. Her older sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. Cara decided to accompany Cherice  to her preoperative appointments, prepared to take notes and ask relevant questions about what to expect like the risks of medication, complications from treatment, and if her sister’s life expectancy would be impacted.
After a series of demeaning and otherwise unresponsive interactions with doctors and nurses, Cherice  found an old-school doctor, Dr. Myron E. Moorehead, the kind who has tabletop anatomical models of reproductive organs. He showed her exactly what he would do  and told her what she needed to do to prepare for an accompanying procedure.
“I knew that he cared about me and I felt I could put my life in his hands and it would be okay. Those other doctors, I don&#8217;t think I would have wanted to put my life in their hands,” says Cherice .
It’s been 11 years since her breast cancer diagnosis and 17 years since Hurricane Katrina, which Cherice  refers to as “the August 25, 2005 federal levee failure.” She has survived two life-changing events that have altered her view on both physical and mental health. She understands just how quickly things can change for the better or the worse. 
“It was so hard being here, so hard working here, healthcare would have been at the bottom of my list. For me, survival didn&#8217;t necessarily include health checkups. Being happy enhances your ability to take care of yourself. When you&#8217;re depressed, you know your whole world is kind of turned upside down,” says Cherice.
<h6>A New Wellness Routine</h6>
What was once an after-thought has become a major priority. Now, she spends the first few minutes of each morning envisioning what she wants for her life. Every day, good health tops her list. From moment to moment, Cherice  has gotten into the rhythm of choosing herself. Sometimes that means parking farther from a store entrance to get a few steps in.  Other times it means buying small batch ice cream from a local vendor and slowly eating small scoops in a fancy bowl with a fancy spoon.
“If you take care of your health, then you can do all the things that enhance your life that we need to do as humans to to survive. It&#8217;s just about loving yourself, and loving yourself the most,”  says Cherice .
One of the most recent, more public acts of radical self-care for Cherice  is acknowledging that she will no longer wear her sacred Carnival suits for performances or appearances or participate in Carnival the way she has in the past. Carnival season starts on January 6th and extends through Mardi Gras Day, which is also known as Carnival Day. This will be her last year strolling around the streets of New Orleans in her Carnival suit on Mardi Gras Day. Starting in 2023, you’ll only be able to catch Cherice  in her Carnival suits for her late father’s birthday celebrations — his birthday falls during Carnival season and marks a time of remembrance for the Harrison family. While it was never just a performative gesture, the creation of her Carnival suits have grown even more intimate and laborious over time. By creating boundaries around how she wants to show up as a Mardi Gras Indian, she is relieving herself of the responsibility of automatically inviting others into a tradition that they may not understand or revere. 
“The [suit] I wear on Carnival Day, it really is spiritual. It&#8217;s like putting on me and I don&#8217;t want to use those in that manner anymore,” says Cherice.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-29545" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cherice-social-embed-twitter.jpg" alt="" width="1080" height="1080" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cherice-social-embed-twitter.jpg 1080w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cherice-social-embed-twitter-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cherice-social-embed-twitter-300x300.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cherice-social-embed-twitter-768x768.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cherice-social-embed-twitter-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cherice-social-embed-twitter-880x880.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cherice-social-embed-twitter-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cherice-social-embed-twitter-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cherice-social-embed-twitter-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cherice-social-embed-twitter-980x980.jpg 980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" />
Cherice  takes that seriously  — weaving, beading, patching, and feathering to make ceremonial clothing that draws from and oftentimes illustrates the most resonant moments of her life. When the ensemble is as complete as it can be, it becomes an archive of sorts. Her suits are on display at the Donald Harrison, Sr. Museum named after her father that’s just two blocks from her house and on family land. Her suits are also currently on view at The New Orleans African American Museum in Treme, The McKenna Museum of African-American Art, and the Baton Rouge African American Museum.
“It takes a lifetime because everything you put into a suit is the sum total of your life,” says Cherice . 
For this year’s Carnival, she is honoring her ancestors and creating a memorial suit. Cherice  can trace her ancestral line pretty far back. She has a bill of sale regarding her great great grandfather Madison Briscoe, who was born in 1809 and enslaved in 1820 when he was just 11-years-old. Although she can go back for generations, this suit in particular will honor friends, mentors, family members and more recent ancestors. Cherice  has begun collecting and referencing their favorite things &#8211; hobbies, colors, and animals to select the right way to adorn her suit. She will incorporate a horse for her uncle, a butterfly brooch for her mentor, and a lipstick for another friend. 
“He&#8217;ll tell me what I&#8217;m supposed to create for him. The ancestors are really real and they speak to me,” says Cherice .
As Cherice  continues on the path to living life on her own terms, her journey reminds us that the first step to any kind of healing begins with listening.
<hr />
Imani Mixon is a long-form storyteller living in Detroit. You can learn more about her work <a href="https://www.imanimixon.com/">here</a>.

Imani Mixon

Practicing Radical Self Care with Cherice Harrison-Nelson

Editor&#8217;s Note: For Twosday (Tuesday 2/22/22) We&#8217;re sharing a story we did a few years back about identical twins. Twins are endlessly fascinating for us as humans, and their stories are embedded in our folklore and mythology. But twins and the study of twins is also a cornerstone for genetic research helping us better understand the heritability of different traits, conditions and diseases. When we look at identical twins, we often are drawn more to the their <a href="https://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/01/double-life.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">similarities than their differences</a>, and we&#8217;ve written about<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-customer-stories/23andme-reunites-identical-twins-separated-birth/"> identical twins separated at birth</a> and how meeting as adults reveals how uncannily much they have in common. But the differences can often be just as illuminating. Check out these stories.
<h2>Greg and Alex</h2>
The twins Greg and Alex Abbas were always really good in math and science. They sounded exactly alike on the phone. They could each play the piano, and they both became Eagle Scouts.
“We’ve always been more alike than different,” said Greg, a software engineering manager at Apple Inc.
<div id="attachment_22592" style="width: 890px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22592" class="size-larger wp-image-22592" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Alex-and-Greg-880x660.jpg" alt="A photo of Alex and Greg." width="880" height="660" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Alex-and-Greg-880x660.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Alex-and-Greg-300x225.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Alex-and-Greg-768x576.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Alex-and-Greg.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px" />Alex and Greg</div>
In high school, they looked enough alike that they could switch places and fool the teachers. But despite all those similarities, the brothers were always told they were fraternal, not identical twins. 
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</code>“That was mom’s assertion,” said Greg. “The doctor told her that there were two placentas.”<code style="display: none;"> 
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</code>That old assumption, and others, led many twins and their parents to wrong conclusions about whether they were identical or fraternal twins. As many as one-third of identical twins and all same-sex non-identical twins have separate placentas. Even when there are two placentas, that might not be obvious to the delivering doctor. 
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</code>It’s no wonder correctly identifying twins as identical or fraternal is harder than you’d imagine. One recent study found that 32 percent of parents of identical twins were confused or plain wrong about whether their children were identical or not. About 29 percent of parents of fraternal twins had it wrong. 
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</code>In hindsight, it explains a lot to Greg and Alex. The two had always wondered if maybe the doctors had it wrong. Not long ago, Alex, a bioinformatician at Genentech with a Ph.D in biology, decided they should look at how similar they were genetically by testing with 23andMe. 
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</code>“I thought there was a possibility that we might be semi-identical,” said Alex, referring to scarce sets of twins.
In those cases, the twins are half fraternal and half identical, having the same genes from one parent but different genes from the other. While there are plenty of critical medical reasons for knowing whether twins are identical, there are also less concrete reasons that are no less important. 
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</code>“I wouldn’t say it’s a huge deal, but it is special to learn about yourself in this way,” said Alex. 
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</code>What the brothers found out from testing is that they are indeed identical twins, not fraternal.
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</code>“The results were 100 percent shared DNA,” said Greg. “I said, ‘Wow, that’s not fraternal.’” While the brothers said they can’t claim that their lives were changed by the news or did anything differently because of what they learned, both said the information was extremely valuable. 
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The Abbas brothers are not the only twins who learned through using 23andMe that they are identical twins.
<h2>Mike and Matt</h2>
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</code>When Mike Convente, a Ph.D. student in Philadelphia, learned through 23andMe that he and his brother <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/03/30/961626/-Our-Genome-Decoded-How-Companies-Like-23andMe-Are-Advancing-the-Field-of-Personal-Genomics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">were identical twins</a>, it made their bond somehow more special.
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<div id="attachment_23529" style="width: 229px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23529" class="wp-image-23529 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Mike_Matt_2-219x300.jpg" alt="A photo of Mike and Make as kids." width="219" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Mike_Matt_2-219x300.jpg 219w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Mike_Matt_2.jpg 525w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 219px) 100vw, 219px" />Mike Convente (left) and his brother Matt.</div>
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Tim Dang, a product manager here at 23andMe, and his brother Nick also grew up being told that they were fraternal twins but learned that they were identical twins after testing with 23andMe. Like the Convente twins and Alex and Greg, learning about being identical was an important detail for Tim and his brother.
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</code>“Knowing we&#8217;re identical made us think hard about our similarities and differences, identity and the life choices we made up to this point,&#8221; he said.
<div id="attachment_22594" style="width: 890px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22594" class="size-larger wp-image-22594" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Tim-Nick-Dang-880x696.jpg" alt="" width="880" height="696" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Tim-Nick-Dang-880x696.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Tim-Nick-Dang-300x237.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Tim-Nick-Dang-768x607.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Tim-Nick-Dang-1024x810.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Tim-Nick-Dang-1180x933.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px" />Tim Dang (left) and his brother Nick.</div>
<h2 class="title style-scope ytd-video-primary-info-renderer">Erika and Kristin</h2>
Sometimes twins only learn that they are identical twins later in life, as in the case of Erika and Kristin.
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More Alike Than Different

Jamila studied the map, smiling, giggling a bit with wonder each time she uncovered something new.&nbsp;
“Oh wow, just wow, I didn’t know any of that,” she said.&nbsp;
The map traced out a geographic region in Africa where certain ethnolinguistic groups, or people who share a common language and culture, live today. The lines carved out a part within what is now Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, delineating where people who are Kongo &amp; Mbundu live. Within the region, there are other groups like the Kete, Imbala, and the Tetala.&nbsp;
“I’ve never heard of any of these groups,” Jamila said. “I have so much to learn now that I know this is part of me.”&nbsp;

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="733" height="1024" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-733x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29491" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-733x1024.jpg 733w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-845x1180.jpg 845w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-215x300.jpg 215w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-768x1073.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-630x880.jpg 630w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-scaled.jpg 1832w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 733px) 100vw, 733px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Ancestry Composition Update</h6>
Steven Micheletti, a 23andMe population geneticist, walked Jamila through this update of her 23andMe’s Ancestry Composition report. Steven explained that of the more than 12 million people stolen from Africa and taken to the Americas in the slave trade, almost half of them came from this region of West Central Africa. The update includes a total of <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry-reports/african-ethnolinguistic-groups/">25 new ethnolinguistic</a> groups in Africa. Jamila saw where in Africa she matched with others from this ethnolinguistic group with whom she shared a common ancestor up to a few hundred years ago.&nbsp;
But Jamila, a Seattle realtor, small business owner, and mother of eight, was seeing much more than just a map. Instead, Jamila saw a direct connection to a piece of her and her family’s history.
“This is going to mean a lot for people like me who want to know more,” she said.&nbsp;
<h6>A Richer History</h6>
February is Black History Month in the United States. But history for Black people here didn’t begin with slavery, Jamila said.&nbsp;
“Our history didn’t begin 400 years ago,” she said, referring to when the first Africans were enslaved and brought to the Americas.&nbsp;
For many Black Americans, the history of slavery erected a brick wall in their efforts to reach back and learn more about their ancestry. For many people like Jamila, simply saying that you have African ancestry isn’t enough. Africa itself is rich with cultures, ethnic groups, and languages; she wanted to know to what culture and group she connected.&nbsp;
“So I just kept asking questions,” Jamila said.
About three years ago, after using 23andMe, Jamila learned that she was primarily West African. Of her West African ancestry, about 35 percent was from Nigeria. But even Nigeria is a massive multi-ethnic place filled with different groups and cultures.&nbsp;
<h6>On a Quest to Learn More</h6>
Jamila wanted to know more.
“Where in Nigeria?” she asked.
Soon after testing, she connected with a distant Nigerian cousin. She learned that she was from a village in the Nigerian state of Anambra and was Ibo. Then, in Seattle, where she lives, Jamila began to participate in the Igbo Union group, made up of Ibo people now living in the United States. During one of the group’s meetings, Jamila met a woman from the same village as her cousin. Jamila and her new friend eventually traveled together to Anambra in August of 2019 and visited the village. She felt an immediate affinity with the people there.
&nbsp;“It was emotional and really fun,” she said. “It was life-changing.”
But she also knew there was more. Fast-forward to this year and Jamila learned through this latest 23andMe update that she is connected to ethnolinguistic groups in what is now Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“I can never be 100 percent Ibo, or (one of these other groups),” she said. “I didn’t grow up in their culture, but it’s in my blood. It’s in me.”
She plans to learn more about these cultures and incorporate some of what she learns into her life and her children&#8217;s lives.
“It’s important that they know who they are and where they came from and that the story, our story, didn’t start 400 years ago… there’s more to it than that.”

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="338" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29437" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-2.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-2-300x198.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>

Tracing Roots in Africa

Blog editor’s note: This #BlackHistoryMonth, 23andMe employees are celebrating joy and resilience in the Black and African diaspora through events, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ2D0Z6JKWe/">art</a>, and conversations. We’ve also curated a series of guest blogs about people who embody that joy and resilience – and are harnessing these strengths to uplift their communities and create a better future. Today, we’re highlighting Nyema Clarks work in building a urban farm to build a community around wellness and connections to the land.
By Gennette Cordova
Tucked away in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle is <a href="https://www.nurturingrootsfarm.org/">Nurturing Roots</a>, a community farm  founded by  Nyema Clark in 2016 as part of a movement to reclaim her people’s history and relationship with agriculture.
“I feel like, as a Black woman, all I hear about is ‘roots’—that&#8217;s our engagement with agriculture,” says Nyema. “I wanted to find an alternative way to visit, to view, to think about agriculture.”
Growing up in the urban, multicultural community of Seattle’s South End, Nyema’s exposure to different cultures informed her view of the world and food, in particular.
“My neighborhood was very diverse,” she says. And that diversity extended to the kitchen. &#8221; At my kitchen table I was eating just about everything. My friend across the street might be making lumpia; I could get a soul food meal from grandma; or I was able to get authentic chicken soup from my Vietnamese neighbors.”
Nyema grew up in an environment that emphasized  all aspects of “growing.” Her mother, a florist, instilled in her the vital importance of growing professionally, mentally and emotionally. Her father, who was interested in landscaping and carpentry, exposed her to the practice of building with her hands.
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 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0598_2-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29526" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0598_2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0598_2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0598_2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0598_2-880x495.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0598_2-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0598_2.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Addressing Disparities</h6>
“It’s always intrigued me. I always wanted to learn more, (about) Black folks in farming,” says Nyema. “Learning about George Washington Carver, the crazy land swaps and land grabs that happened. Identifying how structurally things are all messed up, I just dove head first into the agricultural side.”
In Seattle, like many cities around the country, health disparities such as higher instances of asthma among Black and Hispanic children can be attributed, in large part, to environmental racism. 
The evidence of racism and income inequality were evident throughout her childhood. “I don&#8217;t want to say it was a typical urban environment, because it was very unique. It was beautiful but also sucked knowing that a lot of my friends had asthma. And now I know why.”
Still, it was this environment that cultivated Nyema’s mind for business. Her entrepreneurial inclinations began with grade-school lemonade stands. That eventually led to the formation of her company, Avenue South, a small specialty seasonings shop at Seattle landmark Pike Place Market. While she enjoyed the exploration of value-added products, she became deeply invested in the idea of feeding her community with no monetary value attached. 
Nurturing Roots was the logical expansion of this investment.  The nonprofit has flourished, tended to by her commitment to “Robin Hood the system.” In this moment, where racial and social justice is under a magnifying glass, Nyema is intentional about addressing systematic oppression with an emphasis on food and environmental justice.
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 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0475-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29525" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0475-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0475-300x169.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0475-768x432.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0475-880x495.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0475-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0475.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Claiming Her 40 Acres</h6>
“A lot of my trauma was associated with realizing we were brought here in servitude,” she says. For many Black Americans, especially those of us who grew up in cities, we naturally connect Blackness and farm work to the hundreds of years of barbaric, American chattel slavery, that confined our ancestors to coffee, tobacco, cocoa, sugar, and cotton plantations. 
Nyema is resolved to reclaim farming as a means to reconnect with  history and healcommunities. To further this vision, she has turned her focus to land ownership. She recently received funding to purchase the commercial space that currently houses Nurturing Roots, and she’s close to sealing a land transfer deal with the Seattle Parks Department to obtain 38 acres called Red Barn Ranch in a suburb of Seattle. 
“My plan for Red Barn Ranch is to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that includes Black farmers, Black healers and young people,” she says. “I wanted to be able to start a fire under the city’s ass to get them moving.” adding “You guys have land and you&#8217;re not doing anything with it? We&#8217;re paying taxes on it and the community could use it? What are you doing?” 
For Black Americans, there’s a symbolism in coming into possession of nearly 40 acres—the amount of land, along with a mule, famously promised and then denied to former slaves. 
“That&#8217;s why I tell everybody it’s all of ours,” she says. “We all are about to get our 40 acres finally.”
In acquiring this space, she aims to attain financial security, freedom to carry out her purpose and conjure a spiritual remedy for a time when our ancestors could own nothing, not even themselves. 
“Personally, I&#8217;ve seen a lot of land taken from not only our community but my family. We had a house in the [city’s historically Black] Central District, it was foreclosed,” says Nyema, touching on a shared experience for many Black people in Seattle. 
“My model encompasses everyone being able to own a piece of land even though this document says Nurturing Roots on it,” she says. “We don’t have individual plots at Nurturing Roots. Someone asked me before, ‘can I come and grow my garlic there?’ And it&#8217;s like, ‘yeah, but it&#8217;s gonna be amongst all the other garlic and then anybody who comes can pick it. Are you okay with that?’” 
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 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0357-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29524" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0357-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0357-300x169.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0357-768x432.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0357-880x495.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0357-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0357.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Physical, Mental and Spiritual Wellness</h6>
Community is prioritized at Nurturing Roots, along with self-sufficiency and food empowerment. In South Seattle, the area’s lower income and higher unemployment predictably correlates with the sparseness of grocery stores, compared to other parts of the city. Beyond providing a much needed additional source for fresh produce, addressing a wide range of health issues from the expansion of access to nutrition-based education and fitness training to more ambitious goals like “taking control of our own sovereignty when it comes to healthcare” are on Nyema’s agenda.
<div id="attachment_29527" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-29527" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0607-240x300.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-29527" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0607-240x300.jpg 240w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0607-768x960.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0607-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0607-704x880.jpg 704w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0607-944x1180.jpg 944w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/23ANDME_01_15_2022_0607.jpg 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" /> Photo by Meron Menghistab </div>
Understanding how isolating many corporate spaces can be for Black workers, she sees Nurturing Roots as an opportunity to give her loved ones an alternative to more traditional working environments. So far, she’s been able to staff her operation entirely with people who are dear to her, some who she’s enjoyed decades-long friendships with. Nyema envisions a communal system with currency based on bartering, exchanging labor on the farm or some other offering, with the hope that the community she creates can detach their sense of self-worth from a dollar amount. 
With Nurturing Roots, she is intentional about centering healing and health, not just through nourishment of the body but nourishing the mind and spirit, as well. After years of feeling constantly undervalued in professional settings, with her farming project she felt her identity—as a Black person, a woman, a South Seattle native—being celebrated in a way that she’d never experienced before.
“Spiritually, it&#8217;s like I&#8217;ve been restored doing this work—almost like a baptism,” she continues, moved to tears. “Now, I couldn&#8217;t go back and work for someone if I wanted to. I needed to value myself. I needed to explore being a strong woman and have it not look like something else. It was tough to find in these artificial spaces.”
With the region boasting a wide range of agricultural products and a growing emphasis on sustainability, Nyema hopes her work will plant seeds in the minds and imaginations of her peers and younger people in the city. 
“People need to see us doing it,” she says “People need to be able to see themselves engaging in this practice.”
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Gennette Cordova is a writer and organizer currently based in Brooklyn. Originally from Seattle, she has written many times about the struggles and successes of Black women.

Gennette Cordova

Growing Community through Community Farming

Among the many strategies for staying healthy is paying attention to your digestive system.
23andMe adds a new report for 23andMe+ Premium members on diverticulitis, a common but not well-known condition that affects the gut.  
Diverticulitis occurs at weak spots in the intestinal tract, where small bulging pouches become inflamed. These pouches, most often found in the large intestine (also called the colon), are called “diverticula.” They are common, especially as we age, but usually do not cause problems.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-29498 size-medium" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-02-10-at-2.23.06-PM-289x300.png" alt="" width="289" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-02-10-at-2.23.06-PM-289x300.png 289w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-02-10-at-2.23.06-PM.png 576w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 289px) 100vw, 289px" />It’s estimated that more than half of people in the United States over 60 have diverticula, and most likely never have any issues. But about five percent of those individuals will develop inflammation in these pouches, a condition called “diverticulitis,” according to the<a href="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/diverticulosis-diverticulitis/definition-facts"> National Institutes of Health.</a> This can lead to symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, fever, constipation, or diarrhea. More serious complications, such as blockages or perforations, can lead to hospitalization.
Genetics, diet, a lack of exercise, being overweight, and some medications can all contribute to one’s chances of developing the condition.
<h6>23andMe+ PREMIUM</h6>
As part of 23andMe+ Premium, members can now access a Diverticulitis report powered by 23andMe research data.
The new report uses machine learning techniques to estimate a person’s likelihood of developing diverticulitis. In the report, we make the estimate with a statistical model that uses data from 23andMe research participants and includes more than 5,000 genetic variants. The report also takes into account a person’s ethnicity and birth sex.
<h6>Taking Action</h6>
Fortunately, one can lower their chances of developing diverticulitis with a healthy lifestyle. That includes eating more fiber and less red meat, maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising regularly.
Taking steps to learn about your genetics and your family medical history, and talking with your healthcare provider will help you understand your own chances and the right steps for prevention.
<h6>More</h6>
23andMe’s new Diverticulitis report (powered by 23andMe research) is available to all members that join the 23andMe+ Premium membership. To learn more about your report, members can go<a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/prs.diverticulitis/"> here</a>.
Haven’t joined the 23andMe+ Premium membership yet?
 Find out more<a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/?ban=stky"> here</a>.

23andMe+ Premium Report on Diverticulitis

Why are people attracted to specific traits in romantic partners? How can someone garnish all their dishes with cilantro and someone else recoil at the thought? What makes an individual reach for sweet snacks instead of salty ones?
&nbsp;The mystery behind why we love what we love has fascinated humanity for millennia.
But even love – that intangible emotion long contemplated by philosophers, artists, poets, and head-over-heels teenagers – is not impervious to the reach of DNA. In fact, research shows that genetics can influence our preferences and tastes.

<h6>Birds of a Feather</h6>
It turns out there might be some scientific proof to the adage “birds of a feather flock together,” at least when it comes to mate preference.
A study published in<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-016-0016"> Nature Human Behavior</a> identified genetic evidence for assortative mating, defined as the tendency to select and mate with partners who are similar to us.
&nbsp;Researchers at the University of Queensland, the University of North Carolina, 23andMe, and other institutions, looked at two specific traits in couples: height and body mass index (BMI).&nbsp;&nbsp;
They used data from more than 24,000 couples, including 11,908 consenting couples from 23andMe, and compared an individual’s genetically predicted height and BMI to those of their partner.
The study<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/you-complete-me/"> found</a> a strong correlation between people’s genetic predisposition for height and their partner’s actual height. A weaker but still statistically significant correlation was also found between people’s genes for BMI and the actual BMI of their partners.

<h6>Pass the Salt… or the Sugar</h6>
Picture your perfect snack. Is it sweet – a bowl of ice cream, or maybe a cookie? Or is it salty (think: popcorn or chips)?
Genetics may influence your choice by impacting how your brain identifies and responds to tastes.
&nbsp;It all starts with a single bite. When food enters your mouth, your taste buds get to work – sending signals to two different brain areas. These regions help you identify and decide if you like a flavor.
Scientists from 23andMe have <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/traits/sweet-salty">identified</a> 43 genetic markers associated with a preference for salty or sweet foods.&nbsp;
&nbsp;Several of these markers are found near genes involved in brain development and function. And two are located in genes associated with food metabolism and body mass, including the FTO gene, which has been linked to obesity.

<h6>The Great Cilantro Divide</h6>
Add cilantro (also known as coriander) to the list of topics you shouldn’t bring up at the dinner table. Like politics and religion, this green, leafy herb elicits surprisingly strong reactions. Some hate it and swear it tastes like soap. Others love it and can’t imagine a dish without it.&nbsp;
What makes this herb so polarizing? Genetics offers a clue. 23andMe researchers<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/cilantro-love-hate-genetic-trait/"> found</a> two genetic markers associated with cilantro aversion located near a cluster of olfactory receptor genes. Some of these receptors help us perceive aldehydes, chemical compounds that contribute to cilantro’s “soapy” scent.
Culture and environment can also influence cilantro preference. According to a 23andMe <a href="https://flavourjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2044-7248-1-8">study</a>, only 3-7 percent of those who identify as South Asian, Latino, or Middle Eastern dislike the herb compared to 14-21 percent of people of East Asian, African, or European ancestry.&nbsp;
Researchers posit that this difference could be partially due to the ubiquity of cilantro in various regional cuisines, which results in frequent exposure to the herb.

In light of these research findings, perhaps we can offer an addition to this well-known quote by the Sufi mystic and poet Rumi: “Only Love… [and DNA] can explain the mysteries of Love.”
Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love, Decoded

By Adam Auton, 23andMe Vice President, Human Genetics
For scientists at 23andMe, the recent announcement of taking our <a href="https://investors.23andme.com/news-releases/news-release-details/23andme-initiates-phase-1-clinical-trial-first-wholly-owned">first wholly-owned cancer drug</a> into a clinical trial is beyond exciting. This is a huge milestone for the company and for our Therapeutics group. 
As a scientist and vice president for human genetics at 23andMe, I would love for more people to understand how important this is; not just for us at 23andMe, but also as a demonstration of how genetic research is transforming drug discovery.
So, I&#8217;m writing this post to explain how our unique database shapes our approach to drug target discovery. The intent is to share more about how we use both genetic information and non-genetic information together in the largest database of its kind. We are generating insights backed by human genetics at an unprecedented scale so that more people can benefit from what we learn about the human genome.
The two things to know is that at 23andMe, it all begins with human genetics, but it doesn&#8217;t end there. 
But before diving into that, let’s take a detour using a real-world example to explain a bit about 23andMe’s unique research model and how it sets us apart.
<h6>The 23andMe COVID-19 Study </h6>
23andMe isn&#8217;t developing vaccines or therapies for COVID-19, so what does that have to do with this topic? Put simply, what we were able to do as scientists studying COVID-19 is a beautiful illustration of the power of our research model. Let me explain.
Early in the pandemic, the scientists at 23andMe, like scientists around the world, asked ourselves, &#8220;what can we do to help?&#8221; 
23andMe has a very, very large database of re-contactable customers who have consented to participate in our research. That gives us the power to study all manner of diseases, including COVID-19. 
We were curious whether there was something we could learn about the disease that could reveal more about its biological mechanisms and offer insights about potential ways to treat it. Specifically, we wanted to understand why some people get very sick with COVID-19, whereas others experience an asymptomatic infection. Why is this? Could genetics play a role?
We set up our <a href="https://you.23andme.com/covid19-study/">COVID-19 Study</a> and asked our research participants questions about their experience with the virus. In a matter of a few months, we had more than 1.2 million people participating in our study and we were able to generate a host of findings. 
We found that <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/blood-type-and-covid-19/">blood type</a> plays a role in the susceptibility to the virus and a locus on chromosome 3 appears to influence severity in symptoms among those who get it. And we found genetic associations with the loss of <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/loss-of-smell-covid-study/">smell and taste</a> among those with the virus. 
Additionally, we investigated differences in <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/covid-19-vaccine-reactions/">vaccine reactions</a> among people. We also have some of the largest cohorts of underrepresented populations, which allowed us to discern some of the different impacts the virus has had on people of <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/impact-disparities-of-covid-19/">different ethnicities</a>. And we were able to share these findings with the scientific community, our customers, and the public at large as soon as we made them. 
This is a great example of science in action. Recruiting and surveying large numbers of individuals regarding their experiences with a specific disease would usually take years. In this case, we were able to go from a scientific idea to a collection of results in a matter of weeks or months.
That&#8217;s the power of what we can do with our large-scale research platform that includes millions of people from diverse backgrounds who have consented to participate in research. 
This relates to drug discovery in that it demonstrates the power of our research engine to discern important and relevant genetic associations quickly. But, of course, there are a number of steps and a lot more work that needs to happen after making those initial findings. 

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="914" height="1024" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/COVID-Study-Graphic-914x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29489" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/COVID-Study-Graphic-914x1024.jpg 914w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/COVID-Study-Graphic-268x300.jpg 268w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/COVID-Study-Graphic-768x861.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/COVID-Study-Graphic-785x880.jpg 785w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/COVID-Study-Graphic.jpg 1026w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 914px) 100vw, 914px" /></figure>
 
<h6></h6>
<h6>23andMe Therapeutics</h6>
Traditional drug discovery and development is incredibly inefficient and expensive. Developing a drug is difficult. On average, it can cost <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2762311">about $1 billion</a> according to some estimates and can take more than a decade. And the failure rate for new drug development is more than <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-54849-w">90 percen</a>t.
But suppose you start that process with evidence that a naturally occurring genetic variant within your target gene is associated with a particular disease. Studies have shown that the chances of successfully developing a drug against that gene are significantly increased, perhaps by a factor of two. Given this type of evidence, you can focus on targets that have the most promise for success and thereby accelerate the pace of developing a drug. In an industry where just one in ten drugs makes it to patients, the potential impact on transforming this expensive and time-consuming process is enormous. 
To find genetic associations relevant to targets, large datasets are important. As approximately 80% of 23andMe customers consent to participate in research, 23andMe has a large enough database to identify many genetic associations across thousands of diseases. In addition, people who consent to participate in our research can remain engaged, allowing our scientists to ask additional questions over time. This can, for instance, allow us to study the progression of different health conditions. Or, if our scientists are interested in better understanding a specific disease condition, we can go back and re-contact people to ask for more detail with regard to that condition, which can further help us understand how genetic variants are causing that specific disease condition.
All this data helps us improve the kind of information we can give back to customers, but it also powers new genetic insights, and over time we hope it will lead to the development of new therapies for people who need them most.
There really isn&#8217;t anything like it right now. 

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="528" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Flywheel-1024x528.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29490" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Flywheel-1024x528.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Flywheel-300x155.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Flywheel-768x396.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Flywheel-880x454.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Flywheel-1180x609.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Flywheel.jpg 2036w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
<h6></h6>
<h6>Drug Discovery</h6>
Our research data covers more than 1,000 different conditions.
This gives our scientists a unique opportunity to think about how genetics can reshape the translational science needed to move a potential target into the clinic.
Along with using genetic associations to discover new drug targets, we can also use genetics to understand the best path for a target into the clinic. Specifically, we might see a given target has genetic associations with multiple diseases, and we can use that information to decide where the target might be most beneficial for patients. This information might also allow us to see if a potential drug target is more likely to have serious side effects, in which case we could decide to move on from that target.  
Combining the genetic data with multiple types of phenotypic data gives us a much deeper understanding of each specific gene and the underlying biology, allowing us to really focus our efforts on the targets with the highest chances of successfully becoming a drug. 
Of course, having a genetic association is still a very long way from having a drug! There is a tremendous amount of work to do, and a lot of questions to answer. Even if we find an association, is it in or regulating a gene that we suspect plays a role in the biological mechanism of that disease? Are there experiments we can do to confirm our suspicions? Can the gene in question actually be drugged? Are other groups already working on this gene? What is the unmet medical need in this disease, and do we think drugging this gene would be better than the existing standard of care? We need to answer all of these questions (and many, many more), but by starting with what we believe is the greatest genetic database in the world, we hope that we are able to bring the best opportunities forward in order to help patients in need as quickly as possible. 
<h6>My Background</h6>
I came to 23andMe about seven years ago, just as we formed the Therapeutics division. Previously I was an Assistant Professor of Genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, where I worked on large-scale genetic analyses looking to understand the genetic underpinnings of human disease. 
When I joined 23andMe, the database was much smaller, but it was clear that the potential was there. Since then, 23andMe has grown such that instead of seeing handfuls of genetic associations for different diseases, we are now seeing many thousands. Seeing this growth has been tremendously exciting.
This enormous database has allowed us to start more than 40 programs — many of which in collaboration with GSK — to develop targets to potentially treat conditions in oncology, immunology, respiratory and cardiometabolic disease.
What is game-changing about what 23andMe is doing is that we can make novel insights that simply aren’t available anywhere else. It is rewarding to see one of those insights lead to the development of a drug in a phase 1 clinical trial.
 

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="680" height="1024" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/©Piter2016-23andMe-AdamAuton-066-680x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-25740" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/©Piter2016-23andMe-AdamAuton-066-680x1024.jpg 680w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/©Piter2016-23andMe-AdamAuton-066-199x300.jpg 199w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/©Piter2016-23andMe-AdamAuton-066-768x1156.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/©Piter2016-23andMe-AdamAuton-066-585x880.jpg 585w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/©Piter2016-23andMe-AdamAuton-066-784x1180.jpg 784w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/©Piter2016-23andMe-AdamAuton-066-scaled.jpg 1701w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /></figure>
 
<hr />
Adam Auton is the Vice President of Human Genetics at 23andMe and is responsible for computational approaches to target discovery via statistical genetics and computational biology. Before joining 23andMe, Adam was an assistant professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where his group developed algorithmic approaches for using large-scale genomic data to understand human population genetics. Adam earned his DPhil in statistics from Oxford University, before completing his post-doctoral training at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford, and Cornell University.

23andMe’s Drug Discovery Process Explained

If there’s a sweet spot between discovery and medicine — between answering the big scientific questions of the day, and administering the small but personal care required of the best physicians — then John Matthews is there.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/HUmans_23andME_me-1-36-1-576x1024.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="711" class="alignright wp-image-29473" />
That has a lot to do with his unique background and experience.
 Born in Malawi to a dad who was an agricultural scientist with a Ph.D., and a mom who worked as a hospital nurse, John grew up curious about both science and medicine. (His parents met in Rhodesia while John’s father was flying in a helicopter over farms and spotted his future wife in a red dress having a picnic among the white of a cotton field.) One of John’s uncles was also a doctor, and John developed a natural affinity toward helping people, even performing first aid on the playground in grade school.
“I learned various solutions to deal with simple problems like how to manage nettle stings or remove grit from the eye, washing grazed knees, bee stings, etc.,” he said. “I was very curious about how the body worked, and why it didn’t.”
Now the senior clinical development fellow on 23andMe’s Therapeutics team, John is still wrestling with those questions. He is both a physician who trained in pulmonary medicine and a scientist with a Ph.D. from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College in the UK. He worked directly with patients in an intensive care unit at a hospital in London, and after leaving clinical practice he spent years working at companies developing medicines meant to treat people with the kind of serious illness he often attended to on the ward.
And he still draws on his early years as a doctor for inspiration. John points to a handful of patients who he said fundamentally changed him and continue to motivate him. One, in particular, was a dying man with HIV who struggled simply to swallow food. Although there were new anti-retroviral treatments, those treatments didn’t become widely available for patients for another ten years. And those lifesaving drugs weren’t available to help this patient. For John, who cared for this patient as he died, it cemented the need to develop medicines faster.
“It was hard to be in a situation where novel therapeutics were so desperately needed and this patient is a constant reminder of the urgency to find new medicines for severe unmet needs,” John said. 
That’s a central mission for <a href="https://www.23andme.com/therapeutics/">23andMe’s Therapeutics</a> efforts and part of what drew John to work here.
On a day-to-day basis, John focuses on refining 23andMe drug discovery. Some of that involves developing plans for good clinical practice for such things as safety and data management. But he also brings understanding from those early days on the ward caring for people who were sick or dying. He has been instrumental in 23andMe’s efforts studying rare diseases for instance and explaining the science to patient advocacy groups.
We sat down with John to talk about his career, why he came to 23andMe, and what drives him as a scientist and physician.
<h6>You were born in Malawi, can you tell us a little bit about that, and about where you grew up?</h6>
John: “My parents were living in Malawi — Dad started working as an entomologist at Imperial College, in 1967 and through a UK government grant was based in the newly independent country Malawi to study cotton pests. Mum was working for a hospital as a nurse and Dad was doing his Ph.D. 
We left when I was almost five. But I went back just before I qualified as a doctor, visiting Zimbabwe and Malawi, working on a project comparing asthma in urban and rural areas. 
I visited the Makoka research station and the house I grew up in. I trekked out to the countryside and with various guides and contacts found the man who had taken care of me as a child. I went back daily for a few days buying fertilizer and new wellington boots for him — feeling guilty the whole time. He can’t speak English but he had a photo of me in his kitchen. I feel bad that (our family) didn’t do enough for him. My effort now is to regularly fund Kiva loans for Malawians (<a href="http://www.kiva.org">www.kiva.org</a>) and support various efforts in Malawi  — but it always feels like a drop in the ocean.”  
<h6>You trained in medicine and practiced for a while. Why did you go into medicine?</h6>
John: “My mum was a nurse and my uncle Seamus was a pathologist in Dublin. Between my mum and my uncle “medicine” was referred to a lot. I grew up knowing that medicine was a responsibility to care for anyone in need. When I was at school (aged 7-to-10) kids used to come to me in the playground with injuries – and I learned various solutions to deal with simple problems – like how to manage nettle stings or remove grit from the eye, washing grazed knees, bee stings, etc. I was very curious about how the body worked and why it didn’t.”
<h6>You’ve said before that you’re interested in physiology, body metabolism, and aging. Why is that?</h6>
John: &#8220;I did an extra year at medical school to study physiology. I wanted to go deeper into science. Physiology seemed to be the best way to actually look into how the body worked and it seemed a lot more fun than learning more anatomy or biochemistry. The physiology faculty at my medical school were always the best lecturers. The experiments to make discoveries were also more accessible than imagining what was happening in a chemical reaction. I even took part in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1400059/">human physiology experiments</a> as a subject. 
I was encouraged to study areas with little scientific consensus, such as the control mechanisms of the exercise ventilatory response. I worked in an intensive care unit in London called the Mead ward. It was set up by Professor Ron Bradley, the first full-time intensive care clinician in the UK. He also ran the ICU at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. When I was on the ward, Ron, who had retired, still came in every week to give us tutorials. He had developed a way to estimate cardiac output through his work deriving simple equations that he had developed with quantitative data from human experiments. 
Without going into too much detail, the takeaway for me was that a close physical examination of the patient can give quantitative data on the circulatory state of the patient. The challenge is the ability to capture clinical information and lump or split patients in ways that can help us get to a molecular understanding of disease. 23andMe has pioneered capturing self-report data from the patient, but we haven’t yet mastered capturing the reports of the doctors and nurses that look after them.” 
<h6>What are your hopes for the work you are doing?</h6>
John: “My hope is to see our work yield significant new medicines in the shortest time frame possible.
I’m also very interested in what 23andMe can do around rare diseases. I hope we can communicate the potential of 23andMe to make genetic findings for a large number of rare diseases for which there is very little known currently. 
We’ve recently finished <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.09.21258643v1">a paper</a> illustrating that potential. There are more than 7,000 rare diseases. Being able to find a genetic basis for some of these conditions could offer valuable insights into diagnosis and treatment. We have the potential to do that for many conditions if we are able to find enough individuals with these conditions to participate in our research.”  
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