March is Women’s History Month, a time to recognize the extraordinary achievements, courage, persistence, and contributions of women worldwide. This is the second profile of some of the women at 23andMe who inspire us each day. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/©PITER2017Shirley-Wu2254-copy-218x300.jpeg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-26925" width="300" height="412" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/©PITER2017Shirley-Wu2254-copy-218x300.jpeg 218w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/©PITER2017Shirley-Wu2254-copy-768x1056.jpeg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/©PITER2017Shirley-Wu2254-copy-745x1024.jpeg 745w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/©PITER2017Shirley-Wu2254-copy-640x880.jpeg 640w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/©PITER2017Shirley-Wu2254-copy-858x1180.jpeg 858w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/©PITER2017Shirley-Wu2254-copy-scaled.jpeg 1862w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Shirley Wu, PhD, 23andMe Director of Health Product Science, has always been driven by curiosity. 
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Shirley’s parents were both scientists, and she credits them with her choice in study. But she says her fascination with science was also fueled by her early passion for nature. As a child, Shirley’s idea of a good time was exploring mice tunnels behind her house, or pretending she was a forager in the woods. 
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That interest propelled her through her Ph.D studies in biomedical informatics from Stanford University, where she focused on computational methods for predicting protein function. While she loved science there was a moment in her academic career when she nearly quit grad school to pursue design, because she felt she wanted a career with an expressive element to it. That’s where 23andMe came in.
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It was here where she first had the  opportunity to write about science in a way that helped people understand and share in her fascination with DNA and the world around us. It has been incredibly motivating and rewarding for her. 
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Shirley’s first role at 23andMe was doing <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/talking-23andmes-director-of-science-content-and-curation/">scientific content curation</a>, essentially reviewing the latest science in the field to interpret new genetic results for customers. It’s a fundamental part of what we do — communicating clearly about relevant science to our customers. 
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When she joined the company, we had just a few dozen employees. Shirley was responsible for keeping track of papers recently published in scientific journals, reviewing them for any promising findings, and then vetting to see if they pass our stringent scientific standards. But her role quickly grew to encompass scientific and health content overall. It was her strong technical background, eye for detail, and relentless commitment to creating an accessible and engaging experience for customers without sacrificing scientific rigor that would propel her to be the Director of Health Product Science today. She now leads the team responsible for our Health product and helps make our science exciting, relevant and accessible to everyone. Most recently Shirley was instrumental in ushering 23andMe&#8217;s new <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/type-2-diabetes/">Type 2 Diabetes Health Predisposition report</a> from its initial conception through its launch for customers. 
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But she is still driven by curiosity and a fascination with  genetics. Shirley once said, “DNA is a history of all the life on the planet that led us to this point” &#8212; which, when you think about it, is an incredible thing.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

Be Fascinated for Women’s History Month

Editors’ note: We first posted this piece by Joyce Tung, Vice President of Research at 23andMe, on April 4 2017, but in light of the current budget debate over deep cuts in federal funding for scientific and medical research, it seems appropriate to repost now. Joyce points out that investment in research and science innovation  has distinguished the United States through history. 

By Joyce Tung, PhD, 23andMe VP of Research
I love science. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-25244" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Joyce-Tung-approved-BW-copy-2.jpg" alt="" width="160" height="240" />
I love how science requires a precision of interpretation, provides the thrill of discovery, and stimulates and satisfies curiosity all at the same time. 
This is why I, like <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/22/opinion/why-trumps-nih-cuts-should-worry-us.html?_r=0">other scientists</a>, have been dismayed each year by this administration&#8217;s proposed cuts in funding for basic science.  Again this year <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/03/11/trump-budget-seeks-cuts-science-funding/?noredirect=on&amp;utm_term=.ba9f7c542e88">the White House’s preliminary 2019 budget proposal</a> calls for significant cuts to many scientific institutions or scientific programs in the government. 
For the record, I understand no milk has actually been spilled yet. But I have the same sense of helpless foreboding I get when I see a toddler’s elbow approaching his cup of milk: at least some milk will be lost.
To propose cutting federal spending on scientific programs in such a significant and consistent way suggests that there are a lot of people who don’t value science and its principles of exploration and adherence to the data as much as I do. 
So I felt like I needed to take a step back and ask myself if there’s a way to help show how important investment in science is to a broader audience. Fortunately, this has already been eloquently done back in 1945 by a man named Vannevar Bush.
<div id="attachment_25245" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25245" class="wp-image-25245 size-medium" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Dr-Bush-300x233.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="233" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Dr-Bush-300x233.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Dr-Bush.jpg 400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Born in 1890 in Massachusetts, Bush is known for contributing to or spearheading many scientific and technological achievements, including the <a href="http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/analog-computers/3/143">differential analyzer</a> (an early analog computer), the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/07/as-we-may-think/303881/">memex</a> (conceptually a forerunner of hypertext), and the Manhattan Project. Photo: Library of Congress</div>
<h6>The Endless Frontier</h6>
Bush was the director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, which was established by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 to supervise important Allied research and development during World War II into efforts such as improving weaponry and medical treatments. After the war was over, in a <a href="http://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/coll/pauling/war/corr/sci13.006.4-roosevelt-bush-19441117.html">letter to Bush</a>, President Roosevelt requested Bush’s recommendations on how to keep the pace of scientific progress enjoyed during the war going in the United States. The resulting report compiled by Bush — <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/nsf50/vbush1945.htm">Science, the Endless Frontier</a> — was incredibly far-sighted and influential, and among other things led to the creation of the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a> (NSF). 
Here are some of his words, with examples from my own experience becoming a scientist to help illustrate his points.
“The responsibility for the creation of new scientific knowledge — and for most of its application — rests on that small body of men and women who understand the fundamental laws of nature and are skilled in the techniques of scientific research. We shall have rapid or slow advance on any scientific frontier depending on the number of highly qualified and trained scientists exploring it.”
<h6>Investing in the Future</h6>
Scientific training can be a long and expensive process, taking anywhere from six to more than ten years post high school to complete. To encourage people to take that route requires support to extend the years of education. I was grateful to be supported by an NSF graduate research fellowship in graduate school and a training grant from the National Institutes of Health during my postdoctoral training. 
I am not alone. Federal funding supports 15 percent of graduate students and over 50 percent of postdoctoral trainees in science, engineering, and health, according to <a href="https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/datatables/gradpostdoc/2015/">2015 NSF survey data</a>. And the work that we do here at 23andMe to put out a high-quality, cutting-edge product is absolutely dependent on the talent that we are able to recruit.
“It is wholly probable that progress in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, renal disease, cancer, and similar refractory diseases will be made as the result of fundamental discoveries in subjects unrelated to those diseases and perhaps entirely unexpected by the investigator.”
The history of genetics leading to modern human genetics is a great example of these points. We learned basic concepts of inheritance by studying peas and flies and mice. This, along with basic efforts to understand the structure and function of this funny molecule called DNA, ultimately led to the current explosion in human genetics. 
“One of our hopes is that after the war there will be full employment. To reach that goal the full creative and productive energies of the American people must be released. To create more jobs we must make new and better and cheaper products. We want plenty of new, vigorous enterprises. But new products and processes are not born full-grown. They are founded on new principles and new conceptions which in turn result from basic scientific research. Basic scientific research is scientific capital.”
<h6>Tomorrow&#8217;s Breakthroughs</h6>
Scientists are now applying the ideas we have learned from human genetics to developing new drugs, personalizing treatments for cancer, and empowering consumers with their personal genetic information. These innovations not only have the potential to improve human health, but are creating new jobs in new industries.
Science is wonderful not only because of all the useful things we’ve already learned, but because of all the things we have yet to discover. To continue to reap the economic, health, and quality of life benefits from the powerful system of scientific research we have in the United States requires continued investment. I hope that as a country we make the choice to continue to support basic science research and the next generation of scientists who will make tomorrow’s breakthrough discoveries.
 Bush closed his report by saying,
“On the wisdom with which we bring science to bear against the problems of the coming years depends in large measure our future as a nation.”
The journal Nature has details on the proposed cuts <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00719-4">here</a>.

Science, the Endless Frontier

Caroline Wallis, 23andMe Content Writer, Ancestry Product Team 
<div id="attachment_26919" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26919" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/image2-225x300.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-26919 size-medium" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/image2-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/image2-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/image2-660x880.jpeg 660w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/image2-885x1180.jpeg 885w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/image2.jpeg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />A photo of Mike in front of Bunratty Castle in County Clare, near the Shannon Airport. </div>
Messaging a distant cousin through <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/#dnarelatives">23andMe’s DNA Relatives </a>can feel like a leap of faith, a shot in the dark. You hope a message doesn’t fall on uninterested eyes. You hope it is read by someone like Mike Farragher, an offbeat writer from New Jersey. You hope for someone like <a href="https://www.irishcentral.com/opinion/cahirodoherty/mike-farragher-brings-ireland-and-irish-america-together-in-his-latest-story-collection">Mike</a>, particularly when you are looking for your ancestral connections to Ireland. 
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For Mike, opening one of these messages also holds its own unknowns. Indeed he could never have predicted the profound impact one message from a cousin (and its many consecutive ones) would have on his life, which has always included ties to his roots in Ireland. 
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A second-generation Irish American, Mike grew up listening to his father’s thick Irish brogue and visiting the Emerald Isle every other year to see his grandparents. Mike’s father was one of 10 siblings. As a result, Mike had strong family connections both here and in Ireland, and he wasn’t searching for any more. His first story collection, <a href="http://www.thisisyourbrainonshamrocks.com/">This is Your Brain on Shamrocks</a>, tapped into his Irish American upbringing. Mike, who works as a vice president for sales at a laboratory company when he’s not writing, thought he knew all about his big Irish family.
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Then, he got his first message from a DNA Relative on 23andMe. A cousin, Bethany*, found Mike in the process of doing her own advanced genealogical research. She had discovered evidence that they were related through his paternal side. Mike later connected with Bethany’s four sisters and other cousins, and soon learned that he was everyone’s closest living connection to Ireland. 
<div id="attachment_26818" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26818" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ireland-300x178.png" alt="" class="wp-image-26818 size-medium" width="300" height="178" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ireland-300x178.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ireland-768x456.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ireland-880x523.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ireland.png 993w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Using 23andMe&#8217;s Ancestry Composition tool, you can dig deeper and find where you have DNA in common with more people who report ancestry from those regions.</div>
“These ‘new’ cousins have been robbed of a few decades of that connection and are now making up for lost time,” Mike said. 
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Eager to share that connection with newfound family, Mike connected these cousins with other Irish family members, leading to a mini-reunion in Ireland for Mike’s father’s 80th birthday. 
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Laughing, Mike recalls his dad saying, “Don’t you think they’re after your money?[&#8230;]You better watch out for all these charlatans hiding in all the corners of the dark web!” 
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On the contrary, several of these cousins (many of whom are elderly) started crying upon hearing a brogue made familiar to them by their parents. Hungry to learn more about their ancestral birthplace, Mike’s new relatives would ask questions he had never thought to ask, helping Mike rediscover his own roots in a new way. 
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“I always knew who my family was but it is a lot of fun to watch others discover my family in this way,” Mike said. “Like discovering your life through your children’s eyes, I would liken this experience to much the same thing.”
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A natural storyteller, Mike has explored his Irish roots through his writing, and he even met a cousin while on a book tour. Mike likes to think that he carries on the legacies of Ireland’s famous writers, to keep the memory of his Irish ancestors alive, as well as to capture the contemporary stories of the Irish diaspora. And it all began with meeting a few cousins through 23andMe. 
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As Mike works on his next book — a novel inspired in part by his experience meeting his cousins — we marvel at the watershed power of one tentative message sent on the DNA Relatives platform. Mike is a cousin, a steward, and a storyteller, but also a historian keeping alive the stories of his family. 
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Follow along on Mike’s  entertaining adventures on his <a href="http://mikefarragher.blogspot.com/">blog</a>.
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*The names of Mike’s cousins have been changed to protect their privacy.

The Irish Connection

23andMe’s new Type 2 Diabetes report* offers customers insight into their likelihood of developing one of the most prevalent, pernicious, and yet preventable health conditions in the United States.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image-300x138.jpg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-26911" title="diet and exercise can help lower risk of type 2 diabetes" width="350" height="162" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image-300x138.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image-768x354.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image-1024x473.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image-880x406.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image-1180x545.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image.jpg 1950w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" />
This new report will impact more 23andMe customers than any other <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry">Health Predisposition report</a> the company has ever released. In part, this is because the likelihood of developing <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/type-2-diabetes/">type 2 diabetes</a> is so high in the general population.
“Diabetes is a significant health issue in the United States that is expected to impact nearly half of the population,&#8221; said Anne Wojcicki, CEO and Co-Founder of 23andMe. &#8220;When customers learn about their genetic likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, we believe there is an opportunity to motivate them to change their lifestyle and ultimately to help them prevent the disease.&#8221; 
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<h6>What’s a Polygenic Score?</h6>
The genes we inherit from our mother and father influence our risk of disease. While that’s pretty straightforward, the role genetics plays is a bit more complicated.
Although there are examples of a single genetic variant in a single gene causing certain conditions, it is often the case that hundreds or even thousands of variants — along with lifestyle and environmental factors — all play a role. And that’s precisely the case with type 2 diabetes.
For 23andMe’s new Type 2 Diabetes report, we created a model that incorporates more than 1,000 genetic variants to calculate a polygenic score for a customer’s likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.
It’s not the first time we’ve used this method. However, it is the first time we’ve used this kind of polygenic score for a Health Predisposition report. In the past, we’ve used this method to develop our<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/23andme-releases-first-of-its-kind-genetic-weight-report/"> Genetic Weight Report</a>. That report used both genetic data — hundreds of variants associated with BMI — and non-genetic data to calculate a person’s genetic predisposition to weigh more or less than average. 
<h6>Modeled Reports</h6>
Several other trait reports similarly rely on polygenic scores. For example, 23andMe’s recent reports on<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/feeling-woozy-over-23andmes-new-report-on-motion-sickness/"> Motion Sickness</a>, the ability to<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/itching-to-see-23andmes-new-trait-reports/"> Match a Musical Pitch</a>, and estimated<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/23andme-adds-four-new-trait-reports/"> Wake Up Time</a> each use hundreds of variants to calculate one’s predisposition toward those traits.
23andMe will continue to use these kinds of polygenic modeled reports to report health predispositions to its customers. We are uniquely positioned to do this because of the data our customers contribute. This in turn allows our researchers to better understand the complex genetic underpinnings of various diseases. We can also then create polygenic models that take into account the cumulative effects of a large number of genetic variants. This allows us to give better estimates of their influence on different health conditions and diseases. 
You can learn more about how others are incorporating polygenic modeling to estimate risk by looking at coverage in the <a href="https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/08/polygenic-risk-scoring-flags-likelihood-of-developing-common-diseases/">Harvard Gazette</a>. That article focuses on  research done by scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT, Harvard, and Massachusetts General Hospital. In the summer of 2018 the team published their findings in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0183-z?_ga=2.116551877.2133794146.1551300156-1054250013.1551300156#Abs1">Nature</a>. The study showed how they created a polygenic model to better estimate for the risk of five different conditions. The conditions included type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, and coronary artery disease.
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<h6>Rising Rates of Diabetes</h6>
In the United States alone a staggering one in three Americans have prediabetes, according to estimates from<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db319.htm?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&#038;utm_campaign=ae2c97fb19-MR_COPY_12&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-ae2c97fb19-150868577"> the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>. Worse, 90 percent don’t know they have it. The impact is even greater among certain ethnicities. For example, Hispanics have the highest rates of diabetes with about 20 percent having the condition.
Worldwide, as lifestyle and diets are changing, the prevalence is also increasing. Beyond the very real human costs are the healthcare costs for treating the condition.  In the United States estimates for the costs of treating diabetes are more than $327 billion per year, according to the American Diabetes Association.
Despite the alarming statistics, there’s reason to be optimistic. Type 2 diabetes is one condition that can be prevented or delayed with lifestyle and diet changes. Genetics, family history, ethnicity, and age all contribute to the likelihood for developing type 2 diabetes. But type 2 diabetes is preventable. In many cases the likelihood can be lessened with a healthier diet and exercise. That’s where this report could help, by raising awareness among customers about their likelihood of developing the condition. There is some evidence that people do make positive changes to their diet and exercise more after getting genetic testing, according to<a href="http://www.genomes2people.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/20170502_PGen_BMCMedicalGenomics_Nielsen_DietExerciseDTC.pdf"> 2017 study</a> led by<a href="http://www.genomes2people.org/about/"> researchers</a> at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Broad Institute and Harvard Medical School.
<h6>The New Report and the Genetics of Type 2 Diabetes </h6>
We hope that 23andMe’s new Type 2 Diabetes report will raise awareness about diabetes. The report also informs customers of the potential of making healthy lifestyle changes to lower one’s likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. We’re excited by the potential that this report has for making a difference in people’s lives, but it’s significant for another reason as well.
This report is built using real-world data from more than 2.5 million 23andMe customers who have opted into research. Some of those customers have the condition and others do not. Together the data from those cusomters have allowed our product scientists to create what’s called a polygenic score. To asses an individuals likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, our team created a model that takes into account more than a thousand genetic variants.
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<h6>Polygenic Score</h6>
Research has shown that type 2 diabetes is partially impacted by many genetics. Many genetic variants  each individually have a tiny impact on the likelihood of developing it. The Type 2 Diabetes report calculates the combined effects of more than 1,000 of these variants. These variants, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs)  are variations in DNA sequence at particular locations in the genome. The calculation uses all these variants to arrive at a polygenic score.  The report can help customers learn how their genetics, influence the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. It also looks at other factors such as  weight, age and lifestyle. In addition, the report also suggests actions customers can take to lower that likelihood.
Unlike other 23andMe health reports we developed and validated the Type 2 Diabetes report  completely on 23andMe research data. The report also underwent scientific review by our team of scientists, as well as reviews by our Medical Affairs and Regulatory teams. In addition, to create this report 23andMe relied on the expertise and knowledge of external experts. We included input from other scientific and medical professionals who are familiar with polygenic scores and the condition itself.
To learn more about the science behind 23andMe’s new Type 2 Diabetes report see <a href="https://permalinks.23andme.com/pdf/23_19-Type2Diabetes_March2019.pdf">our white paper</a>.
*Note: The 23andMe Type 2 Diabetes report is based on 23andMe research and incorporates more than 1,000 genetic variants to provide information on the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.  The report does not account for lifestyle or family history and has not been reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration. Visit www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/type-2-diabetes for additional important information.
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23andMe Offers New Genetic Report on Type 2 Diabetes

March is Women’s History Month — and March 8th is International Women&#8217;s Day — marking a time to recognize the extraordinary achievements, courage, persistence, and contributions of women worldwide. Here at 23andMe, Women’s History Month offers us an opportunity to reflect on the outsized impact women have had on our company’s journey — from our founding to the science behind what we do. That inspiration all starts with our CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki. But we see it at all levels of the company. This month we want to highlight three of the many women at 23andMe who inspire each of us. 
Joyce Tung, 23andMe’s Vice President of Research, often says her career would have been much different if a small flyer hadn’t caught her eye more than a decade ago at Stanford. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Joyce-Tung-approved-BW-copy-200x300.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-26914" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Joyce-Tung-approved-BW-copy-200x300.jpg 200w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Joyce-Tung-approved-BW-copy-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Joyce-Tung-approved-BW-copy-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Joyce-Tung-approved-BW-copy-587x880.jpg 587w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Joyce-Tung-approved-BW-copy-787x1180.jpg 787w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Joyce-Tung-approved-BW-copy-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />
After getting her PhD in genetics studying human fertility at the University of California San Francisco, Joyce did post doctoral work at Stanford studying the genetics of skin pigmentation. 
It was there that fate intervened. She happened to see a flyer advertising jobs at this new company called 23andMe. 
It wasn’t just a lucky break for Joyce, but for 23andMe as well. When she decided to leap into this new opportunity, it didn’t just change the trajectory of her career. Joyce coming so early to 23andMe also helped our team establish a strong foundation for our groundbreaking research. 
 Throughout her career, Joyce has always embodied <a href="https://mediacenter.23andme.com/">our core values</a> at 23andMe — lead with science and put the consumer at the heart of everything we do. And she does all of that with the same kind of vigor, humor, and humanity that has defined our company culture. Along with her intelligence and careful council, Joyce’s is known around 23andMe for her distinctive laugh which usually can be heard echoing around the office.
Now Joyce leads a team of over <a href="https://research.23andme.com/research/">80 scientists</a> responsible for our company’s <a href="https://research.23andme.com/projects/">research initiatives</a>. That work touches on everything from supporting our therapeutic development program with drug target identification, to collaborations with academic and industry partners, to research and development of new consumer products. 
But she’s driven by the same passions that have <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/science-endless-frontier/">always motivated her</a>.
“I love science, and I love scientists in all their glorious nerdiness,” she says.
So do we.
And we draw inspiration from women like Joyce, and as part of Women&#8217;s History Month, we&#8217;ll introduce you to another woman who inspires us here at 23andMe.

Be Inspired for Women’s History Month

If you are a scientist studying populations that are not well represented in current genomics research, the 23andMe Research Team would like to work with you.
<h2>Collaborate</h2>
We are searching for qualified researchers interested in the full spectrum of human genetic diversity to collaborate with us.
Researchers will work with 23andMe scientists to study our database, including 23andMe’s large African American and Latino cohorts who have consented to participate in research. This effort will be through 23andMe’s <a href="https://research.23andme.com/research-innovation-collaborations/">Research Innovation Collaborations Program</a>, which we have previously used to partner with dozens of academic and non-profit institutions to advance genetics research.
Most of 23andMe’s <a href="https://research.23andme.com/publications/">120 peer-reviewed publications</a> have come through this program.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-26387" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/iStock-664962264-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1854" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/iStock-664962264-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/iStock-664962264-1024x741.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/iStock-664962264-1180x854.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/iStock-664962264-300x217.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/iStock-664962264-768x556.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/iStock-664962264-880x637.jpg 880w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />
<h2>Improve Representation</h2>
With this initiative, 23andMe hopes to improve the representation of understudied populations. Our mission has always been to help people access, understand, and benefit from the human genome. But people can only benefit if scientific advances are relevant to them.
Unfortunately, that is <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/diversity-matters-in-research/">not currently the case in the field of genomics. </a> More than 88 percent of research participants in genome-wide association studies are in groups of European ancestry only. To make precision medicine a reality for everyone, we must conduct research on a diverse range of populations.
“Collaborating with 23andMe allowed our team to conduct the first genome-wide association study of uterine fibroids among African American women,” said Digna Velez Edwards, Ph.D., M.S, a division director of Quantitative Sciences.
Edwards, the director of Women’s Health Research, and an associate professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said improving diversity in research is vital.
“The lack of diversity in research is widely acknowledged,&#8221; she said. &#8220;For scientists like me, collaborating with 23andMe and leveraging its large and rich database of African American customers who have consented to participate in research offers an opportunity to make new genetic findings that benefit those underrepresented populations.”
<h2>More Work Needed</h2>
Some of the studies 23andMe has worked on have focused on non-European populations, such as our previously mentioned research on uterine fibroids in African American women. But we recognize that more work needs to be done. For example, we are currently working with researchers on the genetics of height and weight. That study leverages 23andMe’s large African American cohort.
&#8220;If the underlying diversity of a dataset is limited, then scientific findings are less meaningful across populations,&#8221; said Joel Hirschhorn, an institute member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the Concordia Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Genetics at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Hirschorn is collaborating with 23andMe on the <a href="https://www.broadinstitute.org/blog/high-hopes-understanding-height-and-obesity">project</a> to better understand the connections between genetics, height, and obesity.
&#8220;Only by connecting with people across many different backgrounds and experiences and participating together in research can our genetic studies into human biology yield insights that apply across the diversity present within our shared humanity,&#8221; he said.
<h2>Unique Opportunity</h2>
Now, 23andMe has one of the largest groups of genotyped and phenotyped Latinos and African Americans who consented to participate in research worldwide. This presents a unique opportunity for researchers interested in leveraging this data for equitable genetic research.
So for this summer’s Research Innovation Collaborations Program cycle, we are especially interested in applications that focus on the population, molecular, and medical genetics of understudied populations. These include groups with African, Latino, East Asian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern ancestry within 23andMe&#8217;s database. Collaborators are expected to contribute to a project either with their unique expertise, novel methods, or comparable datasets for meta-analysis. Or they could contribute with validation in other cohorts. 23andMe does not grant access to our consented customers’ data. However,  our researchers will analyze these cohorts statistically for accepted collaborators.
Topics of interest for diversity-related collaborations include:
<ul>
<li>Phasing and IBD estimation</li>
<li>Population substructure</li>
<li>Population history</li>
<li>PheWAS of suspected functional variants common in understudied populations</li>
<li>Gene-by-environment interactions (GxE) replication or development focused on suspected functional variants</li>
<li>Studies of conditions or traits that are relevant to understudied populations</li>
</ul>
Please read more about the application process and <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIe1Q_84kQODJeenkDfhvlT8HDzbifi0DrhusKPl-dMjMunA/viewform">submit an application here</a> by June 12, 2019.

23andMe’s Call for Collaborations to Study Underrepresented Populations

By Elizabeth Owuor
To honor Black History Month, 23andMe is sharing the untold stories of a few of the African-American scientists and figures who contributed to science each of whom made their mark despite great societal and institutional obstacles.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-26905" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/BHM-Microscope-300x165.png" alt="" width="300" height="165" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/BHM-Microscope-300x165.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/BHM-Microscope-271x149.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/BHM-Microscope-372x204.png 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/BHM-Microscope-574x315.png 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/BHM-Microscope.png 702w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Overlooked, intentionally erased from the history books, or simply discredited. <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/honoring-henrietta-lacks/">Henrietta Lacks</a>, a young African American mother from Baltimore, made her contribution to scientific advancement without ever knowing it. Cells from the tumor that killed her were taken and regrown in labs around the world without her or her family’s permission and became one of the most important cancer cell lines in medical history.
After visiting Dr. Howard Jones at the Johns Hopkins Medical Center in 1947, Lacks underwent a gynecological tumor biopsy and her cells were sent to a neighboring lab &#8211; without her knowledge or consent — where they were later harvested to create HeLa Cells, the first  infinitely reproducing cell line in medicine.
In fact, no one knew of Lack’s essential <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/henriettalacks/index.html">contribution to science</a> and the world-at-large until it was finally acknowledged nearly 40 years after her first visit to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. But Lacks isn’t the only African-American to aide scientific advancement without being fully acknowledged or credited. Throughout the ages, other Black figures have helped advance chemistry, genetics, pathology, and other essential scientific fields without getting due credit. In an effort to honor these hidden figures, we’ve collected a short roundup of a few of the overlooked sheroes and heroes whose contributions, even in the face of racial persecution and institutional disenfranchisement, left an important mark on the world of science and beyond.

<h6>Alice Ball: The Collector of Many Firsts</h6>
1892-1916
Chemist Alice Ball didn’t shy away from being a pioneer: the first African American and the first woman to graduate with a Master’s in chemistry from the College of Hawaii (now the University of Hawaii), Ball later went on to be the first female chemistry professor at her alma mater.
But Ball was already accomplishing firsts long before graduating. A native of Seattle, she was born in 1892, at a time when women — particularly women of color — were denied access to education and employment. Ball earned her undergraduate degrees in pharmaceutical chemistry and pharmacy from the University of Washington, before pursuing her graduate work in Hawaii. During the course of her career, she pioneered a treatment for leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, that was eventually coined the “Ball Method” due to its highly effective treatment of the symptoms of this vexing disease. The first injectable treatment of its kind, Ball’s treatment used oil from the chaulmoogra tree, which had previously only been used topically with mixed results. Medical professionals relied on Ball’s invention for 20 years before a new treatment was introduced.
Sadly, Ball wasn’t given full credit for her groundbreaking invention until decades after it was made available to the public. Her untimely death at 24 due to chlorine poisoning in her lab contributed to this, but so did the fact that the president of her university initially took credit for work. Although long overdue, Alice Ball was finally remembered by history in 2010 when the University of Hawaii declared February 29th “Alice Ball Day,” erecting a statue in her honor.
<h6>Dr. James Bowman: The Science Renaissance Man</h6>
1923-2011
Segregation may have hindered James Bowman from pursuing his dream of becoming an Army medical officer, but it didn’t stop the trailblazer from forging his own path in medicine and genetics despite the many obstacles erected by a racist society.
A 1943 biology graduate of Howard University, Bowman stayed remained at the university to secure his medical degree as part of the of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He later interned at the Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. and completed his residency in pathology at Chicago’s St. Luke’s Hospital from 1947 to 1952.
Always one to continually expand his knowledge base through research, Bowman moved to Iran in 1955 to study G6PD deficiency, a rare genetic disorder also known as  favism, that is linked to episodes of anemia and affects one in ten African American men. After successfully diagnosing an Iranian patient with the condition, he took his penchant for research and scientific rigor around the world. From 1961 to 1962, Bowman studied genetics at the Galton Laboratory at University College London and then later settled at the University of Chicago, where his scientific work took him to Uganda, Mexico, Ghana and other nations.
Eventually publishing more than 90 scholarly papers on human genetics, Bowman was also a fierce advocate for African-Americans. He was instrumental in ensuring that governmental and medical institutions considered bioethics and consent when testing on historically marginalized populations.
<h6>Marie M. Daly: The Chemistry Pioneer</h6>
1921-2003
The first black woman to receive a doctorate in chemistry in the United States, Marie M. Daly dedicated to spreading knowledge and conducting research. Daly pioneered innovative work on the relationship between chemistry and the human body. Inspired by her father who was hindered from completing his chemistry degree at Cornell University due to poverty, Daly received her bachelor’s degree with honors from Queens College in New York. She went on to receive a graduate degree at New York University, supporting her studies via work as a lab assistant.
After completing her master’s degree on an accelerated timeline, Daly began her doctoral studies in chemistry at Columbia University. She studied under the tutelage of Dr. Mary L. Caldwell, a celebrated female scientist who was dedicated to supporting other women in the field.
Ever the curious mind, Daly studied how the body digests food while at Columbia. Ultimately, she completed her doctorate in 1947 and became the first black woman in that nation to procure a chemistry Ph.D. But Daly didn’t stop her groundbreaking research there. After completing a seven-year research program at the Rockefeller Institute of Medicine, the scientist returned to her alma mater to investigate the relationship between clogged arteries and high cholesterol. In partnership with her colleague, Dr. Quentin B. Deming, Daly was responsible for revealing that dietary choices affect heart health and the circulatory system.
<h6>The Importance of Diversity in Genetic Research</h6>
Did you know that Africans and African Americans make up less than 4 percent of individuals included in genetic studies, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-018-0261-x#Sec1">according to a recent study</a>? The fact that these individuals face <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/black-health.htm">many serious</a> health outcomes and could benefit from the insights gained from genetic inquiry makes the present situation even more untenable. What’s more is that Africans and people of African ancestry are more genetically diverse than all the world’s populations combined. That’s why diversity in genetic research is so crucial. Insights for one group benefit all of us. And that’s not all, the need for diversity also extends to the scientists who conduct research. Ensuring that the scientific community looks more like the world around us will enable us to account for a wide-variety of perspectives. More diverse perspectives in the science community means better scientific research, and potentially more precise scientific advancements.
Know of any other hidden figures in the realm of scientific advancement? Join the conversation by commenting below.

Elizabeth Owuor

African Americans Who Contributed to Science

We’ve always known that getting enough sleep is important and can have a significant impact on one’s health, but scientists have just begun <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-17852 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Empty-Bed-285x300.jpg" alt="" width="285" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Empty-Bed-285x300.jpg 285w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Empty-Bed.jpg 675w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 285px) 100vw, 285px" />to unravel the genetics behind why some people are more prone to sleep problems. Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. About 30 percent of adults report short term problems, while about 10 percent report chronic insomnia. It’s also the second most common mental disorder.
Recently, 23andMe collaborated with researchers from <a href="https://www.vu.nl/en/news-agenda/news/2019/jan-mrt/brain-cells-involved-in-insomnia-identified.aspx">VU University Amsterdam</a> and <a href="https://nin.nl/">Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience</a> on one of the largest genome-wide analysis studies to identify genes associated with insomnia. Published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0333-3">Nature Genetics</a>, the study used data from more than 1.3 million consenting research volunteers from the <a href="https://research.23andme.com/">23andMe</a> database and the <a href="https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/">UK Biobank</a>.
“Our study shows that insomnia, like so many other neuropsychiatric disorders, is influenced by 100’s of genes, each of small effect,&#8221; said Guus Smit, a VU-University neurobiologist involved in the study. &#8220;These genes by themselves are not that interesting to look at. What counts is their combined effect on the risk of insomnia. We investigated that with a new method, which enabled us to identify specific types of brain cells, like the so-called medium spiny neurons.”
<h6>Study Size</h6>
The sheer size of this research cohort enabled us to ask questions about genetics of insomnia and its relationships with other conditions and sleep-related problems individuals may face. With this large dataset, researchers were able to identify 202 genome-wide significant loci involved in insomnia. They were also able to show the involvement of specific cell type — striatal medium spiny neurons, hypothalamic neurons and clastrum pyramidal neurons &#8212; and specific cortical and subcortical tissues — some of which have been implicated previously in the regulation of reward processing, sleep and arousal in animal studies, but have never been genetically linked to insomnia in humans.
&#8220;This study is an immense step forward in understanding the genetic background of insomnia, made possible by the unprecedented increase in cohort size,&#8221; said Vladimir Vacic, Senior Scientist, Computational Biology at 23andMe and co-author on the paper. &#8220;Our results underline that insomnia is a serious condition, sharing genetics with psychiatric disorders and increasing the risk of metabolic syndrome phenotypes.&#8221;
What researchers found particularly interesting was the low genetic overlap between insomnia and other sleep-related traits. Findings show that insomnia is more genetically similar to psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety and <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/massive-new-study-finds-shared-genetic-basis-for-psychiatric-disorders/">major depressive disorder,</a> and personality traits such as neuroticism. It has less in common with sleep traits like <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/rise-and-shine/">morningness</a>, which describes the ease of getting up in the morning, and daytime dozing, snoring or excessive napping.
Finding key brain areas and cell types implicated in the neurobiology of insomnia and related disorders help us better understand how insomnia affects humans and may provide novel avenues for treatment.

Genetics of insomnia more similar to psychiatric conditions than to other sleep traits

It’s February, which means the largest family discovery conference of the year is almost upon us. This year, 23andMe will be returning to Salt <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-02-20-e1550710822368-283x300.jpg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-26896 size-medium" width="283" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-02-20-e1550710822368-283x300.jpg 283w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-02-20-e1550710822368-768x814.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-02-20-e1550710822368-830x880.jpg 830w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-02-20-e1550710822368.jpg 900w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 283px) 100vw, 283px" />Lake City, Utah for <a href="https://www.rootstech.org/">RootsTech 2019. The visit offers</a> us a chance to showcase some of the new improvements to our ancestry service, as well as highlight 23andMe’s privacy protections, and the science around the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and their impact on risks for certain types of cancer
&nbsp;
The event will host keynote speakers daily and hundreds of classes centered on discovering family connections through the latest technology, DNA, people, and sources. 23andMe will be hosting several speaking sessions on topics ranging from genetic data privacy, an introduction to our BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) report, to a deep dive on our Ancestry Composition report. 
&nbsp;
We’ll be joining 15,000 in-person attendees from all over the world, thousands of online viewers, and 300 vendors in the Expo Hall to celebrate family discovery, consumer empowerment and genetics. Come see us at Booth 1105 to speak with 23andMe product experts, purchase 23andMe kits, check out our new Ancestry book, or to just hang out! 
&nbsp;
For those who can’t make it to the conference, our session at 1:30pm MT on Saturday, March 2, “Leading with Science at 23andMe” presented by Sarah Laskey, Health R&amp;D Scientist, will be livestreamed <a href="https://www.rootstech.org/salt-lake">here</a>. During this session, Sarah will walk through how research works at 23andMe and how you can contribute to scientific discoveries. 
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Hope to see the rest of you in Salt Lake City. 
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<h6>23andMe Agenda</h6>
<h6><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Speak-BRCA-262x300.jpg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-26897 size-medium" width="262" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Speak-BRCA-262x300.jpg 262w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Speak-BRCA.jpg 376w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 262px) 100vw, 262px" />Wednesday, February 27 </h6>
Time: 3:00pm  
Room: 355 F
Title: Do You Speak BRCA?
Speaker: Ruth Tennen
Description: BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes that can impact a person&#8217;s chances of developing certain cancers, including breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer. In this session, we&#8217;ll discuss the science behind these genes, how they&#8217;re passed down through families, and 23andMe&#8217;s Personal Genetic Service.
&nbsp;
<h6>Thursday, February 28 </h6>
Time: 4:30pm 
Room: 355 C
Title: Protecting Your Privacy at 23andMe<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/privacy-300x300.png" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-25170" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/privacy-300x300.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/privacy-150x150.png 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/privacy-271x271.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/privacy-372x372.png 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/privacy-574x574.png 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/privacy.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Speaker: Adriana Beach  
Description: 23andMe gives you control over your genetic information. We want you to decide how your information is used and with whom it is shared, and we take great care to design our product with privacy in mind. In this session, we&#8217;ll discuss how you can control your information and how we protect your privacy.
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<h6>Friday, March 1 </h6>
Details: (3) 15-min talks followed by 15-min Q&amp;A
Time: 8am 
Room: Ballroom G
Title: Power Hour on New Reports and Updates from 23andMe!
Speakers: Hilary Vance, Alison Kung, and Danielle Hayes
Description: Discover what you can learn about your health through 23andMe. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ancestry-Overview-Square-300x297.png" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-26832" width="300" height="297" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ancestry-Overview-Square-300x297.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ancestry-Overview-Square-150x150.png 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ancestry-Overview-Square-768x759.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ancestry-Overview-Square-1024x1012.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ancestry-Overview-Square-880x870.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ancestry-Overview-Square-1180x1166.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ancestry-Overview-Square.png 1212w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
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<h6>Saturday, March 2 </h6>
Time: 11am (3-5 mins presentation time)
Room: Main stage
Speaker(s): Shirley Wu
Description: At 23andMe, we believe that DNA can change lives. Our mission is to help people access, understand, and benefit from the human genome. One way we tackle this mission is by providing information on health risks, health risks that could affect your family, and wellness information directly to consumers. During this session, 23andMe&#8217;s Director of Health Product Shirley Wu will discuss how genetics can impact one&#8217;s health, and how consumer participation in research has fueled hundreds of genetic discoveries. 
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Time: 12pm (45 mins, followed by Q&amp;A) 
Room: Lunch 2  
Title: 23 Reasons to Connect with Friends and Relatives at 23andMe
Speaker: Samantha Esselmann
Description: From learning more about what ancestry your inherited from your parents, to comparing your Neanderthal-ness with friends, 23andMe offers a variety of ways for customers to connect, share, and compare their results. In this lunch session we&#8217;ll explore the various reports and tools 23andMe offers and show examples of how they can be used to to answer a variety of questions. 
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Time: 1:30pm (45-50 min preso followed by 10-15 min Q+A)
Room: Ballroom G
Title: Leading with Science at 23andMe<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Microscope-Icon-192x300.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-24284" width="192" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Microscope-Icon-192x300.jpg 192w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Microscope-Icon.jpg 456w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px" />
Speak: Sarah Laskey 
Description: 23andMe customers who participate in research are helping to advance scientific knowledge in revolutionary new ways. Each discovery helps pave the way for advances in medicine. Since 2010, 23andMe has published over 110 papers in peer reviewed journals. In this session, we&#8217;ll walk through how research works at 23andMe and how you can contribute to scientific discoveries. 
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<h6>Family Discovery Day </h6>
Details: This is a day when portions of the conference will be free to the public, and families with children aged 8 and older are welcome to join. There will be a special Family Discovery Day (FDD) general session, specific class sessions geared towards children and families, and fun activities in the Expo Hall and around the convention center.
Type of activity: Craft and build your own DNA souvenir to take home! 
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