DNA has been described as both a recipe for life and a record of it, and computational biologist John Novembre – who recently received a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” for his work – is showing just how powerful melding those two elements together can be for scientists.

<div id="attachment_23026" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23026" class="size-medium wp-image-23026" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Novembre_2015_hi-res-download_2-300x243.jpg" alt="John November Photo Courtesy: John D. &#038; Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation" width="300" height="243" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Novembre_2015_hi-res-download_2-300x243.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Novembre_2015_hi-res-download_2-768x623.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Novembre_2015_hi-res-download_2-880x714.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Novembre_2015_hi-res-download_2.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Photo Courtesy of the John D. &amp; Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation</div>
Novembre, who we first wrote about seven years ago, was recognized for his innovative research that used aggregated genetic information to create “genetic maps” of Europe, and he also lead a team that studied the recombination rates in admixed individuals, particularly African Americans.
Using what we know about recombination rates, he has been able to pinpoint when rare genetic variants emerged in human populations.
23andMe population geneticist Kasia Byrc, who was a co-author on Novembre’s “Genes Mirror Geography in Europe” paper said she liked that there is often a strong geographic component to his work.


“A lot of his work is focused on understanding the geography of genetic variation, and in turn, learning about what a population&#8217;s history was based on looking at the present-day genetic patterns. He&#8217;s also a brilliant computational biologist.”


While at UCLA Novembre developed ADMIXTURE, an ancestry-estimation algorithm that powers some genetic ancestry testing company’s results. The algorithm took what was previously an innovative, but computationally slow method – called STRUCTURE – and created a much faster algorithm to make these estimations possible with very large and rapidly-growing datasets., Kasia said.


His work is improving scientists’ ability to estimate recombination rates within admixed populations. This is helping researchers understand how genetic material gets shuffled up before it gets passed on to the next generation.
But beyond insights about ancestry, Novembre’s detailed study looking at the introduction of rare and damaging genetic variants into the human genome will add to our understanding of the genetics of certain disease and how it differs among different populations.
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23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

Mapping It Out

We&#8217;ve been busy over the last two years, and it shows. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/anne-wojcicki-cover-228x300.jpg" alt="anne-wojcicki-cover" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22990" width="228" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/anne-wojcicki-cover-228x300.jpg 228w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/anne-wojcicki-cover-768x1008.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/anne-wojcicki-cover-780x1024.jpg 780w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/anne-wojcicki-cover-670x880.jpg 670w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/anne-wojcicki-cover-899x1180.jpg 899w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/anne-wojcicki-cover.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 228px) 100vw, 228px" />
Forbes writer <a href="https://twitter.com/matthewherper" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Matthew Herper</a> has a nice take on what we&#8217;ve been up to and where 23andMe is at in the regulatory process.
He also does a balanced job of explaining what prompted the FDA to send a warning letter to 23andMe in the first place.
Early this year 23andMe became the first and only direct-to-consumer genetic testing company to receive clearance for one of its reports, and Herper puts that into context, as well as going into some detail about the power of 23andMe&#8217;s research and therapeutics efforts.
This has been a good year, or as our CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki told Herper:
&#8220;Two thousand fifteen was better than 2014 and 2013. Without a doubt.”
Stay tuned for more from 23andMe very soon. In the meantime take a look at the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2015/10/14/23andme-prepares-a-comeback-raising-115-million-at-a-1-1-billion-valuation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">article</a>.

What a difference two years makes?

Everybody makes mistakes, and that goes all the way down to the molecular level.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/advanced-chemistryprize20152.jpg" alt="advanced-chemistryprize2015(2)" class="alignright size-full wp-image-22970" width="296" height="297" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/advanced-chemistryprize20152.jpg 296w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/advanced-chemistryprize20152-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/advanced-chemistryprize20152-271x271.jpg 271w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 296px) 100vw, 296px" />


This week, three scientists working on their own over the last four decades were awarded the <a href="http://www.kva.se/en/pressroom/2015/the-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-2015/">Nobel Prize in Chemistry</a> for their contributions to our understanding of how those mistakes happen and how our cells repair the errors and damage in our DNA.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recognized <a href="http://www.crick.ac.uk/research/a-z-researchers/emeritus-scientists/tomas-lindahl/">Tomas Lindahl</a>, <a href="http://www.hhmi.org/scientists/paul-l-modrich">Paul Modrich</a> and <a href="http://www.med.unc.edu/biochem/people/faculty/primary/asancar">Aziz Sancar</a> for their contribution to our understanding of the mechanics of DNA repair.
“Their systematic work has made a decisive contribution to the understanding of how the living cell functions, as well as providing knowledge about the molecular causes of several hereditary diseases and about mechanisms behind both cancer development and aging,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awarded the prize, said in a statement.


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To grasp the significance of their work, it helps to understand a little bit about what happens when our cells divide, and all the chromosomes are copied and the DNA replication kicks into gear.
While it’s a pretty perfect process, mistakes happen. Instead of adenine always pairing with thymine, and guanine always pairing with cytosine – your ATGCs – sometimes there are mismatches. Errors also occur because one of the bases in a pair might degrade in a way that a base can’t pair properly. Finally, the assault of everyday life – from exposure to carcinogens, to too much ultraviolet radiation or the occasional donuts – can damage DNA and make two bases bind to each other incorrectly.


Fortunately our bodies have mechanisms to fix most of that, and it&#8217;s the work of Lindahl, Modrich and Sancar that has helped us understand the different aspects of the repairing process.
It was Lindahl’s work in the 1970s that laid the foundation. He also identified the enzyme that is integral in the repair process.
Sancar’s work looked specifically at nucleotide excision pair, or how damage from things like ultraviolet radiation and carcinogens is fixed. And Modrich’s work dealt specifically with mismatch repair, how the errors are detected and then fixed.


Understanding the process, particularly when the repair process itself is somehow broken, can lead to the development of treatments for hereditary diseases or cancers.

Nobody’s Perfect

The amazing <a href="http://www.yourgeneticgenealogist.com/p/about-me.html">CeCe Moore</a>, a genetic genealogist and 23andMe Ancestry Ambassador, has done it again, solving a family<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-12939" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/CeCephoto.jpg" alt="CeCephoto" width="114" height="162" /> mystery and helping a woman connect with her biological mother for the first time.
“DNA,” Moore told the Orange County Register, “was the only way to solve this.”
<a href="https://www.ocregister.com/articles/tovo-670236-kayla-baby.html">The story</a>, which appeared in the Orange County Register, generated a lot of questions and some strong reactions. CeCe and her team had helped Kayla Tovo, a 27 year-old mother and US Army veteran, solve the mystery of her birth.
Kayla was just a few hours old when a janitor found her wrapped in a towel in a milk crate left in the back of an Alpha Beta grocery store.
Her story could have ended in tragedy if not for being adopted by a wonderful loving mother and growing up in a supportive home. But after having children of her own, and a brush with death in Afghanistan, Kayla decided to try in earnest to find the woman who abandoned her. She wanted to know why. A friend connected her to CeCe. Kayla then tested with 23andMe and found a first cousin once removed, providing her the pivotal lead to connect her to her biological family.


“I received questions from all over social media on this story,” CeCe told us. “(Kayla) was lucky, and some have complained they don&#8217;t have matches that close.”


But as the database grows, so too does the possibility for new and closer matches, she said.


“New matches are coming in all the time and the newer ones are more likely to respond and share family tree information than the older matches,” CeCe said.
Check out Kayla’s <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/articles/tovo-670236-kayla-baby.html">story</a>.

More Than Just Luck

Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe&#8217;s CEO and co-founder, spoke recently with Kai Ryssdal, the host and senior editor at 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22084" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-250x300.jpg" alt="Anne_Color_ Seated" width="250" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-250x300.jpg 250w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-768x923.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-852x1024.jpg 852w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-732x880.jpg 732w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-982x1180.jpg 982w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" />Marketplace, about the company, genetics, and the future of health care.


It&#8217;s a good overview of some of what we&#8217;ve been doing lately here at 23andMe.
Anne takes time to explain some of 23andMe&#8217;s core mission about helping people access and benefit from their genetic information, as well as explain how this information will become increasingly important in the future.


Genetic information is already changing health care, but it is also changing drug development and discovery. 23andMe recently announced the creation of its new therapeautics group, lead by renowned scientist Richard Scheller, Ph.D. Anne talked a little bit about this effort and how it aligns with 23andMe&#8217;s overall mission.


It&#8217;s worth taking a few minutes to listen to the piece.

The Future of Health Care

23andMe genotyped our one-millionth customer last week.
Today, we celebrate one million customers: #PowerOf1Million.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22571" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/06112015_OP_headline_v3-300x130.jpg" alt="06112015_OP_headline_v3" width="300" height="130" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/06112015_OP_headline_v3-300x130.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/06112015_OP_headline_v3-768x334.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/06112015_OP_headline_v3-880x383.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/06112015_OP_headline_v3.jpg 920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
However, one million is more than a number. It’s a turning point.
There are now one million people driving change. People are taking control of their data, taking ownership of personal information about themselves, and believing that knowing more about who they are can benefit society, not just the individual. 

Fifty years ago, doctors <a href="http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=330783" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">were reluctant to tell patients</a> if they had cancer. The world is different today.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-22578 size-large" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/1M_infographic_final_press-300x1024.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="1024" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/1M_infographic_final_press-300x1024.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/1M_infographic_final_press-258x880.jpg 258w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/1M_infographic_final_press-88x300.jpg 88w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/1M_infographic_final_press-768x2623.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/1M_infographic_final_press-scaled.jpg 749w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
One million customers ago, <a href="http://blogs.plos.org/dnascience/2012/11/08/direct-to-consumer-genetic-testing-a-new-view/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">attendees were shocked</a> at the annual American Society of Human Genetics conference when direct-to-consumer genetic testing services were announced. Now, they are asking to expand these services to more diverse communities.
One million customers ago, the world didn’t know how consumers would react to direct-to-consumer testing, but now studies show <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3777821/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">consumers don’t overreact</a> to their results.
One million customers ago, the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act in the United States didn’t exist and other personal data protection laws were not in place as many are now around the globe.
One million customers ago, Americans didn’t have direct access to health laboratory results. The United States recently mandated <a href="http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2014pres/02/20140203a.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">individuals can get laboratory test results directly from the laboratory upon request.</a>
The power of one million is a new milestone for us. However, the power of one is just as important. One person’s contribution to research at 23andMe informs over 230 genetic studies.
When people power research, the opportunity to change and radically accelerate the pace of new breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of disease starts to become reality.
That’s the power of one million.

Power of One Million

By Anne Wojcicki

It is with great pleasure that we are announcing an addition to the 23andMe executive team and a new initiative for the company.
<div id="attachment_22312" style="width: 305px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22312" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Headshot-Richard-Scheller.jpg" alt="Dr. Richard Scheller" class="size-full wp-image-22312" width="295" height="197" />Dr. Richard Scheller</div>
Renowned scientist, Dr. Richard Scheller, will be joining 23andMe as our Chief Science Officer and will lead the development of a new research and development group, 23andMe Therapeutics.


The same way we are transforming the way people access and understand their genomes, we hope to transform the way we discover and develop novel therapies. By starting with genetic information and understanding the basics of disease, we hope we can make discoveries that will have a meaningful impact on society. 
Dr. Scheller joining is a testament to the power of 23andMe and what our customers have come together to build. 23andMe is the largest database in the world of genetic information, with almost 900,000 customers.
Customers have contributed over 250 million datapoints of information. All that information powers research that helps us understand how to prevent and treat disease.
Our mission is to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome. With Dr. Scheller joining the team, we believe we will be putting our best efforts into helping customers and society benefit from the human genome.
Participating in research is completely voluntary and customers can opt-in or out at any time.
Over 80 percent of customers chose to opt-in to research and answer questions. We believe we have the potential to be the source of new discoveries that transform the health and lives of our friends and family. Our customers should be proud that they make this research possible.

Anne Wojcicki

23andMe Therapeutics

Here’s to those who dare.
Viewers of Sunday night’s <a href="http://oscar.go.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Oscars</a> got a chance to see a new ad campaign by Cadillac that honors those who “Dare Greatly” and our very own CEO was featured in the new campaign.

<iframe loading="lazy" width="640" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/120986641" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Cadillac &#8211; Dare Greatly &#8211; How Dare&#8230; from David Freeman on Vimeo.

Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe’s co-founder and CEO, is one of the four visionaries honored by Cadillac. Others included daring fashion designer <a href="http://www.interviewmagazine.com/fashion/jason-wu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jason Wu</a>, African internet entrepreneur <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2011/08/03/africas-most-successful-women-njeri-rionge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Njeri Reonge</a>, film director and Oscar nominee <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/06/30/moment-to-moment" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Richard Linklater</a>, and the eccentric Apple Computer co-founder <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/steve-wozniak-9537334" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Steve Wozniack</a>.

At 23andMe, we know Anne wakes up everyday ready to blaze a trail by helping to give people access to their DNA, but it was an honor to see her in such great company.

Cadillac’s <a href="http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2015/02/18/cadillac-oscars-commercial/23571527/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“Dare Greatly”</a> began earlier this month with another television commercial that quotes from a famous speech given by Teddy Roosevelt’s in Paris in 1910 that honored “doers of deeds.”

Daring DNA

By Anne Wojcicki
Today, 23andMe was granted authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the Bloom syndrome carrier status report. This is an important first step in fulfilling our commitment to return genetic health reports to consumers in the US.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-6586" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog-300x300.jpg" alt="23andMe_Logo_blog" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog-300x300.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog.jpg 350w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
This is also the first-time the FDA has granted authorization to market a direct-to-consumer genetic test, and it gives 23andMe a regulatory framework for future submissions. While this authorization is for a single carrier status test only, we are committed to providing US customers with health information once more tests have been through this process and we have a more comprehensive product offering.
The FDA has been incredibly responsive throughout our review and the agency has demonstrated its support for direct to consumer genetic testing. We will continue to work with the FDA to ensure that all future health submissions meet the agency&#8217;s standards.
It’s been a challenging and exciting time for consumer genetics. Our customers support and the stories they shared along the way make my job worthwhile.  I will continue to provide our customers with updates on our blog and by email. We’ve also posted more information about the authorization <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/news/what-the-fda-decision-means-for-23andme-customers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.
I want to thank our customers for their ongoing support during this process.
&nbsp;

News — Page 18