In the early 2000s, three people had a radical idea. What if you could access your genetic information and truly understand what it means for your health?
That radical idea became the foundation of 23andMe.
 Since then, more than 12 million people have accessed their genetic information through 23andMe, and 80% of them have consented to participate in research that could lead to new insights and discoveries. 
Today, 23andMe turns 16. In many ways, we’re a lot like any other teenager. We’ve experienced some growing pains, we’re comfortable pushing boundaries, we’ve had our fair share of adventures, and we’re never afraid to question the status quo. 
 To celebrate this milestone, we’re resurfacing 16 of the best, strangest, funniest, and most influential moments in our company history.

<h6>1. Three people walk into an office…</h6>
Anne Wojcicki co-founded 23andMe in 2006 with Linda Avey and Paul Cusenza, who had previously worked at DNA micro-array company Affymetrix, to change the future of genetics and healthcare. The team of three worked out of a small office in Palo Alto, complete with an overcrowded, hardworking computer server room. Scientific rigor was top of mind; the co-founders spent their early days meeting with regulators, building a robust advisory committee, and figuring out how to give people direct access to their genetic information.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="889" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/blog1-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29733" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/blog1-1.png 2000w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/blog1-1-300x133.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/blog1-1-768x341.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/blog1-1-1024x455.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/blog1-1-880x391.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/blog1-1-1180x525.png 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></figure>
 
<h6>2. What’s in a name</h6>
One of the first priorities was finding a company name, and Anne had a few ideas. In an early email (with the subject line: name explanation), she wrote:
“[The name] 23andME is derived from three elements:
23: pairs of chromosomes in our DNA, one set from each parent.
AND: people want to know what it means for them, and if you reverse ‘and,’ it spells DNA.
ME: It’s all relative to and about our customers – it’s their DNA; it’s their choice.
We also believe in 23and We; collective MEs can change the world.”

<h6>3. Drawing design inspiration from candy</h6>
23andMe had a name and vision. Now it just needed a logo. Early designs drew inspiration from unlikely sources, like bright, fruit-flavored candy. Each design iteration moved us closer to the logo we have today – a fun, colorful symbol of the accessibility and curiosity at the heart of 23andMe. Sweet!

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="889" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29734" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-.png 2000w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi--300x133.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi--768x341.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi--1024x455.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi--880x391.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi--1180x525.png 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></figure>
 
<h6>4. You’re invited to a Spit Party</h6>
The elements of a good party are simple: food, drink, friends, music, stimulating conversation, and, in the case of our 2007 Spit Party held in New York City, saliva. The event was part of a larger strategy to introduce our product to the world.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="889" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-1-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29735" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-1-1.png 2000w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-1-1-300x133.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-1-1-768x341.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-1-1-1024x455.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-1-1-880x391.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-1-1-1180x525.png 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></figure>
 
<h6>5. Look, Ma. We’re on TV!</h6>
Our first TV campaign, Portraits of Health, featured people sharing what they learned from their 23andMe reports. Some discovered unknown ancestry or insights about particular traits like blue eyes or curly hair. Others learned information about possible genetic risks related to their health. 

<h6>6. A part of something bigger</h6>
The 23andMe<a href="https://www.23andme.com/research/"> research model</a> invites customers to consent to participate and help to accelerate genetic discoveries that offer the potential for new insights and treatments. We regularly collaborate with partners across academia and industry and have authored and contributed to <a href="https://www.23andme.com/publications/">hundreds </a>of peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Our collaboration with <a href="https://www.michaeljfox.org/parkinsons-awareness-month?smcid=ap-a1b1R0000086fHf">The Michael J. Fox Foundation</a> allowed us to create a groundbreaking, dynamic<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/parkinsons-decade-of-discovery/"> research community</a> that ensures Parkinson’s patients have a voice.
And our publication in<a href="https://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(20)30200-7"> The American Journal of Human Genetics</a> leveraged the <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/transatlantic-slave-trade-paper/">genetic data</a> of close to 50,000 people to investigate the transatlantic slave trade, confirming new genetic links between the Americas and Africa.
[vc_video link=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG_2zj3I4gU&amp;list=PLFvkfbvHpp1lQ8bqNZaO629ePXdH7qSPx&amp;index=18&#8243; el_aspect=&#8221;916&#8243; align=&#8221;center&#8221;]
<h6>7. How to host a Neanderthal-friendly Thanksgiving dinner</h6>
Are you considering inviting a Neanderthal to your Thanksgiving celebration? We created a <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry-reports/six-things-serve-neanderthal-guest-thanksgiving/">set of guidelines</a> with everything you need to know about welcoming your closest extinct relative from the Pleistocene Epoch. 
Play to their strengths
Based on evidence that Neanderthals possessed sophisticated tool-making <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150114101528.htm">skills</a>, your guests may be able to handily carve up the turkey or roast using a stone or bone instrument.
Conversation starters
Neanderthals were quite social. They often had a nuclear family and lived in a close-knit community of hunter-gatherers, and they were intimately in touch with their surroundings. So be sure to ask about kids, parents, and friends. Questions about outdoor activities are okay, too!

<h6>8. Launching 23andMe+®</h6>
Many of our customers wanted more ways to engage in their genetics journey. So in 2020, we introduced <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/">23andMe+</a>, a new annual membership that provides exclusive access to genetic reports, as well as new reports and features as they become available. 

<h6>9. Contributing to COVID-19 research</h6>
We launched a large-scale<a href="https://medical.23andme.com/23andme-engages-its-millions-of-research-participants-to-study-covid-19/"> research study</a> of more than a million 23andMe customers as part of the global response to COVID-19. Through their participation, our researchers were able to quickly make<a href="https://medical.23andme.com/23andme-finds-evidence-that-blood-type-plays-a-role-in-covid-19/"> new findings</a> and<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/covid-19-severity-calculator/"> build tools</a> to help advance our understanding of the virus.

<h6>10. Ringing in the next chapter </h6>
Anne rang the bell to the Nasdaq exchange on June 17, 2021, marking our first day trading as a public company. Her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTTnn2QLWWA">celebratory remarks</a> provided a glimpse into the future:
“23andMe is more than just a genetics company. We are an activist brand that is approaching health care and drug discovery with the individual at the center, as our partner. We are going to continue pioneering a consumer-centered personalized health care world. We are going to show that drug discovery can be more efficient when you start with a human genetic insight.”
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<h6>11. DNA enters the cultural conversation</h6>
We knew we had arrived when a famous singer, dancer, songwriter, and flutist dressed up as a<a href="https://twitter.com/23andMe/status/1190299652941180928?s=20&amp;t=99fTMJyEprlwqLbHhDtYxw"> life-sized DNA test kit</a> for Halloween to reference an eponymous lyric in her hit song “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P00HMxdsVZI">Truth Hurts</a>.”
Throughout the years, we’ve appeared in various corners of pop culture. We’ve been the punch line on the<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ayIJed2dn4"> Late Show</a> and a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYFfkBSo2mg&amp;t=2023s">public gift</a> for an award-winning musician. We’ve even shown up on an <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-and-you/23andmes-homage-to-jeopardy/">episode of a popular quiz show</a> when this clue was read to participants:
 “The “23” of 23andMe.com, a site tracing ancestry and personal genetic information, refers to pairs of these…”
 The answer? “What are chromosomes?”

<h6>12. Lemonaid joins the 23andMe team</h6>
We acquired <a href="https://www.lemonaidhealth.com">Lemonaid Health</a> in November 2021 as part of our commitment to make personalized healthcare a reality. Lemonaid, a telehealth and pharmacy company, focuses on delivering individualized, affordable care. Anne described the significance of the merger in an <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/news/23andme-to-acquire-lemonaid-health/">announcement</a>:
“We are acquiring Lemonaid Health so that we can bring true personalized healthcare to 23andMe customers. Personalized healthcare means healthcare that is based on the combination of your genes, your environment, and your lifestyle — with recommendations and plans that are specific to you.”

<h6>13. “What am I made of?”</h6>
We started 23andMe to make a difference in the lives of customers like Sheila, who connected with her birth mother and siblings after years of wondering, “What am I made of? What makes me, me?” 
Sheila called her reunion with family a gift. “This is a gift of family. What a blessing.”
[vc_video link=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViLmlrqEC74&#8243;]
<h6>14. 23ME-00610</h6>
 Our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/therapeutics/pipeline/">therapeutics team</a> began <a href="https://investors.23andme.com/news-releases/news-release-details/23andme-initiates-phase-1-clinical-trial-first-wholly-owned">clinical trials</a> in early 2022 of our first drug developed entirely in-house. The drug, 23ME-00610, is an immune-oncology antibody aimed at treating tumors. The target for this antibody was identified using our proprietary genetic and health survey database.
“Our approach to drug discovery is driven by human genetics, and we have an incredibly large database from which to select and advance genetically validated targets more efficiently, and with a potentially higher probability of success, than traditional drug discovery methods currently allow,” explained Kenneth Hillan, our chief therapeutics officer.
“23ME-00610 is an exciting example of how we are translating our data into investigational therapeutics.

<h6>15. A culture of belonging</h6>
Blacks@, 23andShe, Femgineers, LGBTQ+, Neurodiversity, and 23andHear are just some of our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/diversity-equity-inclusion/">Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)</a>, which provide a place for employees with shared interests and experiences to gather and build community. 
Lauren Trusheim, a business analyst and member of 23andShe, shared what she loved about her group: 
“[23andShe] is a space for women to come together and learn from each other. Fostering a strong support system is essential for happiness and success both personally and professionally.”

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="889" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29736" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy.png 2000w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy-300x133.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy-768x341.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy-1024x455.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy-880x391.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy-1180x525.png 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></figure>
 
<h6>16. Celebrating – it’s in our DNA</h6>
Since day one, our employees (and their furry friends) have been at the core of everything we do. Here are a few photos from an internal celebration of our Sweet 16. 

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="889" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29737" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy-2.png 2000w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy-2-300x133.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy-2-768x341.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy-2-1024x455.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy-2-880x391.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Lakshmi-copy-2-1180x525.png 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></figure>

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

23andMe at 16

By Jodee Prouse
I believe nothing is more important than family. But what do I mean when I say family? For me, it’s about more than the DNA we share. A surprise in my 23andMe report only made that belief stronger. 
What all this means for me is complicated by the fact that I’m estranged from members of my own immediate family. My relationships with my dad, my mom, and my sister broke down due to alcoholism and continued unhealthy family patterns. 
Our problems with alcohol were deep, starting with my dad’s drinking, which led to my parent’s divorce when I was eight. And it was alcohol addiction and mental illness that took my brother Brett —who also happened to be my greatest friend— when he took his own life in 2012.
For many reasons, including my own happiness and well-being and that of my husband and our own two sons, I made the painful decision to continue to love my father, mother, and sister from afar. I ceased all contact with them more than ten years ago.
<h6>Looking at Family Connections</h6>
So why did I decide to use 23andMe and peer into the genetics that our family shares?
<div id="attachment_29684" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-29684" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Jodee-her-brother-300x236.webp" alt="Jodee, as a young girl, and her baby brother Brett" width="300" height="236" class="size-medium wp-image-29684" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Jodee-her-brother-300x236.webp 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Jodee-her-brother.webp 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Jodee and her little brother Brett, soon after his birth.</div>
In part, it’s because I’m drawn to the idea of understanding more about my connections to generations past. I have always known about my dad’s side and their roots in England. But I knew little about my mother’s side of the family. Growing up, I only met my mom’s parents, her sister, and that sister’s children, my two cousins. I never met, nor did my mother mention any of her aunts, uncles, cousins, or even grandparents. They were a mystery to me.
After sending in my sample to 23andMe late last year, I was so eager to get the reports I felt like a kid waiting to open presents on Christmas morning. When I finally opened my reports, I was actually a little letdown. The results confirmed that my ancestry on both sides of the family was mostly British. I opted in and looked over my health reports, too, which were interesting, but the unexpected information didn’t come until later. 
<h6>A Shocking Discovery</h6>
Just a few weeks after those initial results, I got an email alerting me to a message. I had opted in to participate in DNA Relatives and someone with whom I shared DNA had sent me a message. I logged in to read it.
“Hey Jodee, My name’s James Dodds and 23andMe says that we may be half-siblings,” the message began. “My dad, Jim Dodds, was from Ponoka, Canada, so I am wondering if that’s the connection. He was born in 1946.”
I’d never heard the name “Dodds” before, but Ponoka is near where I live now, in Alberta, and  near where my mother was born and grew up. I was in complete shock. I responded within ten minutes. When I shared it with my husband that evening and with my two adult sons, now 29 and 31, they didn’t quite comprehend what it meant. I knew instantly. DNA doesn’t lie. I didn’t know how this happened, but I was confident that this man who messaged me, James Dodds, was my half-brother.
<h6>Coming to Terms</h6>
After the initial shock wore off, the emotions flooded in. I was inundated with random memories, like my dad saving me from drowning when, as a five-year-old, I had walked off the edge of a pier during summer vacation. And I remembered his family, my grandma’s loving face, and the big Christmas get-togethers with everyone at my house. My earliest memory is of looking inside eggs using a red light with his dad, my grandfather, when I was three or four. I remembered being the oldest grandchild among all my cousins. And I remembered my dad’s siblings—Uncle Les, Auntie Myrna, and Auntie Mary—all of whom have stood by me and supported me through my life’s journey, never judging or condemning me or taking sides when it came to my complicated relationship with my father. They have loved me unconditionally while loving their brother, too. I LOVE my family. They are my family.
My heart shattered thinking that might not be true anymore. I also wondered, how did this happen?
<h6>The Backstory</h6>
I knew my mother was pregnant when she married my father, and their marriage wasn’t blissful, but I wanted to know more. Though it had been a long time since we’d spoken, I sent her an email asking about her connection and relationship with Jim Dodds. 
I knew my email would come as a shock to her. So I waited for her response.The next morning she replied: 
“I dated someone with that name when I was 18.” 
This confirmed my initial instinct: Jim Dodds was my biological father.
I don’t think anyone would ever blame me if I was angry at my mother, but that’s not what I felt. Instead, I reached out to her to talk and we decided to meet face to face for the first time in almost a decade.    
My mother explained she had fallen in love with a bull rider, Jim Dodds. But she was so young and had already experienced trauma in her life. And she had a past relationship with my father. They had a daughter together four years before I was born, in 1964, and my mom had to give her up for adoption. When she got pregnant at 19, she broke things off with Jim and told him she was getting married without ever mentioning her pregnancy. She believed my dad was my biological father.
<h6>The Meaning of Family</h6>
I was devastated when I learned that my dad wasn’t my birth father. But I realized that family is so much more than being related by blood or sharing DNA. It is about being there for each other through the good times, and especially the bad. It is the relationships in our lives that provide a sense of security and belonging. It is the people that hold your heart gently in their hands. It is about feeling that you are in a safe space, no matter what you share. Family is about feeling valued, respected, and understood. It is being able to say you are sorry when someone says you hurt them.
I am incredibly blessed to have so many relationships like this in my life. And I’m not alone in that feeling. We live in a world where the definition of family has expanded. Children continue to be adopted, people get divorced and then remarried with blended families, foster parents care for children, and individuals pursue parenthood and family through routes like surrogacy and IVF. There are so many scenarios, and all of those people are no less loved, no less connected, and no less family than those that share DNA. The one crucial ingredient is love. I always knew this; it just took a few days to catch my breath and realize it.
Today, I am still processing this news. 
As much as my dad and I had our own challenges throughout the course of our lives, I loved him very much. I never wished for a different father. 
I also regret that my biological father Jim passed away in 2021 before we could meet. He will never know that I was born. He will never know his amazing grandsons.
Yet I’ve realized that if this hadn’t been kept a secret, my life wouldn’t have been enriched by the people I love most. So, as hard as it has been to work through all of my emotions about this revelation, I feel my life is as it should be.
I would never want to alter the course of fate. I love my family and was always meant to be Brett’s sister.

Jodee, as a young girl, and her baby brother Brett

A 23andMe Customer Reflects on the Meaning of Family  

We rightfully honor Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, but for those of us to be lucky enough to have them, Sibling’s Day can be just as powerful. 
This year, Siblings Day is particularly memorable for Victor Farr, a 20-year-old student from Florida who recently met his biological sister Eva for the first time. 
For 18-year-old Eva, who’s also from Florida, it’s even more than that. She’d been searching for connections to her birth family for years. In a message she sent to Victor before they met in person, she wrote:
“My heart and soul have been lost without you for the past eighteen years. I kept wondering, will I ever get a sibling? ‘Will God answer my prayers and put a sibling at my feet?’”
When they met for the first time in a small café, they enveloped each other in a prolonged embrace. There were no words.
“To be connected with a biological sibling is more than a feeling,” Victor said. “It brings the sense of connection and understanding of who I really am.”
Eva was both overwhelmed and overjoyed. An only child adopted by a single mom, she’d been searching for her birth family for years.
For Victor, the moment was equally emotionally loaded but a little different. He knows he’s lucky to have had older sisters who took care of him after he was adopted from Guatemala as a baby. Victor shares with them the bond that comes with growing up in the same household. A shared history and the unspoken understanding that comes with knowing someone from the time before you could talk.
But as an adoptee, Victor also had a hidden history. He never knew much about his origins, his birth parents’ story, or the context that comes with knowing all that. Victor wasn’t haunted by all that. Long ago, he’d come to terms with probably never knowing. 
But on Christmas in 2020 his adoptive father gave him 23andMe as a gift. Victor didn’t expect to find family; he thought using 23andMe might help him learn more about his heritage and mix of indigenous, Iberian, and European ancestry that often is part of being Guatemalan. Although he was curious, it still took him months to actually send in his kit for testing. And he was slow to actually open up his results. That didn’t happen until mid-2021. He was stunned by what he found.
“I was blown away,” he said.
Before that moment, Victor only knew that he came from Guatemala, and from his adoption records, he had his mother’s name. But after opening his 23andMe results, he decided to opt in to participate in DNA Relatives and found that at the top of his list was a full biological sister named Eva. He struggled a bit with what to say to her at first.
“What do you say in a message like that?” he said.
But eventually sent her a simple message and asked to connect, and a few days later she responded.
“It’s miraculous, such a blessing,” said Victor, who is studying for the ministry.
The two exchanged messages and learned that they’d grown up not very far apart. She’s at a small college that Victor had considered attending. He marveled at the idea that they could have been on the same campus or crossed paths and never have known they were siblings.
For both of them, making the connection helped to fill in gaps in their background and grounded them. Eva had a bit more information on their birth mother, and even a photo.
Seeing his mother’s face sent a wave of emotion over him.
 &#8220;It was overwhelming,” Victor said. “I had hoped and dreamed that maybe I might be able to see her one day. Seeing that photo was so emotional.&#8221;
But it was meeting Eva in person, seeing himself in her features, talking to someone who shared history – that up until then had been hidden to both of them – that was life-changing, he said.
&#8220;She&#8217;s like a female version of my younger self,&#8221; he said.
Beyond the shared DNA and the resemblance, Victor said he felt something more. Two years older, Victor suddenly felt something new — the responsibility of being an older brother. On his way to their first in-person meeting, he’d told himself to project confidence because he thought that maybe Eva would feel “shy and overwhelmed.”
“Radiate your light and calmness so she may find herself comfortable,” he told himself.
Since that first meeting, his identity as an older brother has only grown stronger. 
“To be connected with Eva gives me a sense of identity,” Victor said. “I am an older brother who loves and serves his little sister.”

Celebrating National Sibling Day with Victor and Eva

A 23andMe study published this month provides insight into the cause and overlapping genetics of two mental health disorders – depression and bipolar disorder.  
The National Institutes of Health estimates that more than 16 million Americans are affected by depression each year, while nearly 6 million Americans have bipolar disorder.
Genetics and environmental factors — childhood trauma and poverty, for instance — influence the development of both depression and bipolar disorder. Understanding the interplay between those two factors may help researchers develop more targeted treatments. 
<h2>AFFECT Study</h2>
The study, known as the<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-022-01877-2.pdf?proof=t%3B%5D"> Affective disorders, Environment, and Cognitive Trait (AFFECT) study</a>, looked at data from about 50,000 23andMe customers who consented to participate in research over more than nine months. The study was conducted in collaboration with Lundbeck, a company dedicated to restoring brain health. The research provides a highly valuable real-world dataset, deepening our understanding of two of the most highly impactful mood disorders. Of those participating, 15,000 reported a diagnosis of major depression, and almost 10,000 reported that they had bipolar disorder. The remaining individuals reported having neither condition.
The study collected self-reported data and included background health and demographic information. In addition to genetic data, it incorporated information from a series of online surveys, behavioral assessments, and cognitive tests. 
“The AFFECT study represents a unique resource for dissecting the structure of mood disorders across multiple levels of analysis,” the researchers said. In addition, the study&#8217;s fully remote nature provides valuable insights for future virtual and decentralized clinical trials within mood disorders.”
<h2>Results Consistent with Previous Studies</h2>
While these two conditions are different, they share many of the same symptoms. These similarities reinforce the notion that the conditions may fall across a spectrum. Among those overlapping symptoms, the most common were depression, mania, anxiety, and indistinct physical aches and pains. While both those with major depression and bipolar disorder reported sleep problems or substance abuse issues, those two issues were more common among those with bipolar disorder and, according to the researchers, were one of the strongest differentiation points between the two conditions. The study found that symptoms for both conditions often began in pre-teens and often involved some sort of childhood trauma; about 63 percent of those with depression or bipolar disorder reported an adverse childhood experience.
The study is another in a series of studies that 23andMe has either directed or contributed data to advance our understanding of depression and bipolar disorder. The most recent was<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/genetics-of-depression/"> a study last year</a> by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs that included data from more than 1.2 million individuals. 23andMe also contributed data used in a <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/new-insights-into-the-genetics-of-depression/">genetic study</a> by the University of Edinburgh published in the journal<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-018-0326-7"> Nature Neuroscience</a> three years ago. Each has uncovered new genetic associations with the two conditions. 
Researchers will continue to study the data from the AFFECT study to find clues about how genetics and environmental factors may combine to impact brain function.

A Glimpse at Depression and Bipolar Disorder Study

<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/2022/04/Untitled-design-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29658" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Untitled-design-1024x576.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Untitled-design-300x169.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Untitled-design-768x432.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Untitled-design-880x495.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Untitled-design-1180x664.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Untitled-design.png 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
23andMe has landed on<a href="https://www.comparably.com/"> Comparably’s</a> 2022 list of<a href="https://www.comparably.com/awards/winners/best-company-bay-area-2022"> Best Places to Work in the San Francisco Bay Area</a>.
 The list is based on sentiment ratings provided by current employees across almost 20 workplace culture categories, including leadership, development opportunities, and work-life balance.
 23andMe ranked<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/leading-companies-in-bay-area-according-to-employees-2022-3#24-strava-2"> No. 25</a> out of 50 companies.
 In an anonymous review, one 23andMe employee described the company as “a great overall experience,” with “nice people to work with, lots of career growth opportunities, and a fun work environment.”

23andMe Named a 2022 Best Place to Work

Using data from more than 3 million people, a team of researchers from the<a href="https://www.thessgac.org/"> Social Science Genetic Association Consortium</a> completed what is now the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-022-01016-z">largest genetic study</a> ever done on educational attainment, the measure of the number of years someone spends in school.
“Educational attainment is influenced primarily by institutional and environmental factors, such as socioeconomic status, school quality, and the neighborhood where you grow up,&#8221;said <a href="https://research.vu.nl/en/persons/aysu-okbay">Aysu Okbay</a>, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. &#8220;But psychological characteristics that are influenced by genes, including certain cognitive abilities and personality traits, also matter for school performance.” 
<h6>Genetic Factors</h6>
It’s estimated that at least 20 percent of the variation in educational attainment between people can be traced back to genetic factors. But each genetic variant — each single nucleotide polymorphism or SNP — only has a minute influence. This illustrates “polygenic” influence on educational attainment, where no single common variant plays a large role. 
Although this study found more than 3,900 SNPs associated with educational attainment, the researchers estimate that there are likely tens of thousands if not more that play a role. Taken together, the SNPs included in this study explain about 13 percent of the variance in educational attainment among people of European ancestry. In comparison, household income predicts about 7 percent of the variation in educational attainment, while a mother’s education level predicts about 15 percent, according to the researchers.
<h6>More Data</h6>
The genetic associations identified in this study, however, explain far less of the variance in educational attainment among people of non-European ancestry. Although this study included more than 2 million 23andMe customers who consented to participate in research, the researchers argue that an even larger study with a more diverse set of research participants would uncover more relevant genetic variants and be more relevant for people of non-European ancestry.
This is not the first time the consortium, which includes scientists from a dozen institutions around the world, has looked specifically at educational attainment. The last study, which had only a third as many participants and was<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/massive-study-on-the-genetics-of-educational-attainment/"> published in 2018</a>, found about 1,200 genetic variants that, taken together, suggested an association with brain development.
In a <a href="https://www.thessgac.org/faqs">detailed document</a> that accompanied the publication of the current study, the researchers explain that the connection to brain development isn’t likely to be a direct one. Instead, brain development affects psychological characteristics like cognitive performance and personality traits that in turn lead to behavioral tendencies. These tendencies, in combination with other factors, play a role in outcomes at school. For example, differences in school performance may relate to sleep quality, attention span, or personality traits. A student who is more willing to listen to a teacher’s instructions and gets a good nights rest might do better in an academic setting, for example. 
Read the full paper <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-022-01016-z">here</a>.

New Study on Genetics of Educational Attainment

23andMe supports the idea that we humans should celebrate our differences, not criminalize them.
That’s why we are writing to draw attention to recent legislative efforts across the US that essentially bar transgender youth from gender-affirming treatment. These kinds of laws have grave consequences to children and their families. 23andMe is also among more than 200 major companies to have signed a Human Rights Campaign and Freedom for All Americans statement <a href="https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/200-major-u-s-companies-oppose-anti-lgbtq-state-legislation">opposing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation</a>.
<h6>Gender Affirming Health Care</h6>
As we stated last year, gender-affirming health care for transgender people, including trans youth, is <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2780517">supported by most mainstream medical associations</a>. Gender-affirming health care is literally life-saving for many trans kids. Studies by the <a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/145/2/e20191725">American Academy of Pediatrics</a>, <a href="https://whatweknow.inequality.cornell.edu/topics/lgbt-equality/what-does-the-scholarly-research-say-about-the-well-being-of-transgender-people/">Cornell University</a>, and other institutions have found that pubertal suppression treatment for trans youth was associated with lower odds of suicidal thoughts. 
Despite this overwhelming scientific support, many states are specifically attempting to criminalize health care for transgender youth. As of today, <a href="https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/bans-trans-youth-health-care/">15 states</a> have introduced legislation targeting gender-affirming care; ignoring the evidence, gender-affirming treatments for trans children are being treated as felonies and child abuse.
<h6>Access to Care</h6>
Unfortunately, this is not a hypothetical political move, but a very real and terrifying reality for trans kids who are lucky enough to have supportive families. Investigations <a href="https://www.aclutx.org/en/news/texas-wants-take-trans-kids-their-supportive-parents-were-suing">have already begun</a>. Despite following best practices in medicine, some gender-affirming clinics are <a href="https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/update-as-top-u-s-companies-urge-elected-leaders-in-texas-and-other-states-to-abandon-anti-transgender-efforts-surging-opposition-to-attacks-on-lgbtq-youth-begins-crescendoing-across-the-nation">shutting down due to media pressure</a>. Some bills even attempt to ban families from traveling in order to maintain their trans child’s access to medical care.
Even bills that don’t directly target gender-affirming medicine can have an effect on trans health. Recent legislation could forcibly out LGBTQ+ children, make children with gay or trans parents unable to discuss their families in school, and trans children unable to have their name and pronouns respected. This is despite many studies showing that simply <a href="https://news.utexas.edu/2018/03/30/name-use-matters-for-transgender-youths-mental-health/">using a trans youth’s chosen name</a> and <a href="https://www.thetrevorproject.org/2020/07/29/research-brief-pronouns-usage-among-lgbtq-youth/">respecting their pronouns</a> significantly reduces their risk of depression and suicide.
<h6>Trust the Science</h6>
The science is clear. <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/4/e20182162/37381/Ensuring-Comprehensive-Care-and-Support-for">Having supportive family members</a> is associated with better mental and physical health in trans youth. Trans adolescents who receive gender affirmation are often more able to tend to other things, such as academic success, relationship building, and future-oriented planning. Trans kids and their parents and doctors know what’s best for them.
At 23andMe, science is at the heart of what we do, but this isn’t just about the facts, it’s also about people. Trying to legislate away the existence of trans people is not possible. They are part of humanity and have always been. We will continue our work to support and understand each other. Join us as we stand with our employees, customers, friends, and family who are transgender or have trans kids.If you’d like to learn more about the value of gender-affirming care for transgender youth, <a href="https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/thousands-of-parents-join-human-rights-campaign-in-condemning-state-attacks-on-transgender-and-non-binary-youth">listen to parents of trans kids</a> and read this <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/4/e20182162/37381/Ensuring-Comprehensive-Care-and-Support-for">policy statement </a>from the American Academy of Pediatrics. You can also find out more about the status of state legislation to prohibit affirming care from the <a href="https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/bans-trans-youth-health-care/">UCLA School of Law Williams Institute</a> and <a href="https://www.transformationsproject.org/legislation">how to contact your representatives</a>.

Trust the Science: Support Gender-Affirming Health Care for Trans Kids

Kim Gugliotta, 56, fills her plate with healthy foods like legumes, vegetables, chicken, fish, and tofu. She walks for at least 30 minutes a day. And she’s a regular on the pickleball courts of Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.



But Kim wasn’t always so health-conscious.&nbsp;



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-making-the-change">Making the change</h6>



Just a few years ago, she would have opted for “steak and cheeseburgers” and would have been tempted to skip her daily walk. But once she received reports from her <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry/">23andMe Health + Ancestry test</a>, everything changed.



Kim, a 23andMe+ member, discovered from her reports that she had an increased genetic likelihood of developing coronary artery disease, something she’d not heard before nor expected given that she had no family history of it. A visit to her cardiologist revealed that she had dyslipidemia, an imbalance of lipids that contributes to the development of clogged arteries. She was immediately put on medication and counseled about lifestyle changes.



She considers herself lucky. 



“My doctor was able to prescribe me a statin which probably saved me from years of damage to my arteries! And prolonged my life,” Kim said.&nbsp;



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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Take Action for Heart Health" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8DL401qjdoU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heart-health">Heart health</h6>



Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women and men in the US, killing more than 600,000 people each year, <a href="https://www.waff.com/2022/03/09/take-action-your-heatlh-with-23and-me/">said</a> Davis Liu, M.D., chief clinical officer and physician for <a href="https://www.lemonaidhealth.com/">Lemonaid Health</a>. Lifestyle changes, medication, and genetic testing can all be part of a proactive strategy to protect and improve heart health.



“At 23andMe, we have about <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/heart-health/">eight reports</a>* that touch on your heart health in one way or another,” <a href="https://www.wtkr.com/coast-live/genetic-testing-for-heart-health-on-coast-live">explained</a> Alisa Lehman, Ph.D., a senior product scientist at 23andMe. “In these reports, we can tell you if you have an increased likelihood of developing conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and coronary artery disease. Once you have that information, you can work with your doctor to make a plan to try and prevent or manage those conditions.”



Kim knows firsthand just how important that information can be.&nbsp;



“This is our health – let’s find out what kind of issues we may or may not have.”



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



*23andMe health predisposition reports include both reports that meet FDA requirements for genetic health risks and reports which are based on 23andMe research and have not been reviewed by the FDA. The test uses qualitative genotyping to detect select clinically relevant variants in the genomic DNA of adults from saliva for the purpose of reporting and interpreting genetic health risks. It is not intended to diagnose any disease. Your ethnicity may affect the relevance of each report and how your genetic health risk results are interpreted. Each genetic health risk report describes if a person has variants associated with a higher risk of developing a disease, but does not describe a person’s overall risk of developing the disease. The test is not intended to tell you anything about your current state of health, or to be used to make medical decisions, including whether or not you should take a medication, how much of a medication you should take, or determine any treatment. For important information and limitations regarding each genetic health risk report, visit 23andme.com/test-info/.

What 23andMe can Reveal about Heart Health

Our bodies do a lot on autopilot — breathing, keeping our hearts going, sweating, digesting our food. But sometimes those automatic functions don’t work automatically. 
So-called “autonomic dysfunction” is when that process, controlled by the autonomic nervous system, goes haywire.
23andMe’s new lead scientist for our Parkinson’s Research program, Lucy Norcliffe-Kaufmann, Ph.D., has been fascinated by that process since studying physiology for her doctoral degree at the University of Leeds.
In particular, Lucy was intrigued by fainting, which is a reflexive response triggered by the autonomic nervous system. In some cases, neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s disease can damage or destroy a person’s autonomic nerves. So for some of those with Parkinson’s-related autonomic dysfunction, which among other things causes hypotension, characterized by a sudden drop in blood pressure upon standing. 
Lucy has continued to study this process throughout her career as a clinical autonomic neuroscientist. She spent several years as the associate director of<a href="https://med.nyu.edu/departments-institutes/neurology/divisions-centers/autonomic-disorders"> New York University’s Langone Health’s Dysautonomia Center</a>, also serving as an associate professor of neurology, neuroscience, and physiology there. Most recently she worked in the private sector with Theravance, where she worked on potential treatments for hypotension, a common problem among those with Parkinson’s disease.
Her role at 23andMe marks a new chapter in her career but also a continuation of this focus on conditions related to Parkinson’s. Along with this continued attention on neurodegenerative conditions, Lucy has always put patients at the center of her work. It’s that and the richness of 23andMe’s data that drew her to 23andMe, and its groundbreaking Parkinson’s research program.
We recently sat down with Lucy virtually to talk to her about her work, Parkinson’s disease, and what she’ll be focused on at 23andMe. Her responses below have been edited for length.
&nbsp;

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="679" height="1024" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Lucy_N-K-679x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29636" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Lucy_N-K-679x1024.jpg 679w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Lucy_N-K-199x300.jpg 199w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Lucy_N-K-768x1158.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Lucy_N-K-583x880.jpg 583w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Lucy_N-K-782x1180.jpg 782w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Lucy_N-K.jpg 1043w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 679px) 100vw, 679px" /></figure>
 
<h6>What inspired you to become a scientist?</h6>
My father died of diabetes and renal failure very young. I wanted to understand diseases and make a difference. That set me on the path of clinical research. 
<h6>Why did you focus your work on autonomic disorders and neurodegenerative diseases?</h6>
My Ph.D. focused on fainting, which is a reflex response triggered by the autonomic nervous system. Sometimes we would see patients with neurodegenerative diseases that destroy the autonomic nerves. After finishing my degree, I became more involved with patients who have neurological diseases and permanent malfunctioning of the autonomic nervous system that causes near-fainting each time they stand. 
<h6>During your time at NYU, your research included a lot of work directly with patients and advocacy groups. Why is that important in disease research? </h6>
It’s important that we listen to the patient community to find out what’s most bothersome for those living with diseases so that our research is targeting something relevant. The patient community also needs to be aware of what research opportunities are out there, so they can make a choice whether they want to participate. Finally, I think it’s important to close the loop so that patients and caregivers can understand how the research developments translate back to their care. Patients and caregivers are a critical part of our research success. They need to be with us every step of the way. 
<h6>Both at New York University and then I think when you were doing work at Theravance, you began doing more work related to genetics but also in the development of treatments. Can you explain a little about that? </h6>
At NYU, I was incredibly fortunate to spend 15-years working with a community of patients with familial dysautonomia, which is a rare Jewish genetic disease that affects the development and survival of the nervous system. These children are born without the ability to feel pain or temperature and regulate their blood pressure. When I joined NYU, familial dysautonomia was misunderstood from a neurological basis. Over the years, we helped understand what was the specific pattern of nerve loss that caused the symptoms, we partnered with the FDA’s Office of Orphan Product Development to find new therapies to treat the debilitating symptoms and worked on developing potential genetic therapies to help stop the ongoing neurological decline. This patient community shaped my research career, and for that, I will always be grateful. 
At<a href="https://www.theravance.com/"> Theravance</a>, I spent a year in industry working on developing a drug to treat orthostatic hypotension, which is a problem around 40 percent of patients with Parkinson&#8217;s disease develop due to their blood pressure falling to low levels when they stand. 
<h6>What are the kinds of scientific questions or problems you are drawn to?</h6>
I’m drawn to the types of questions that don’t have easy answers. I love clinical research that comes from following the patients and observing trends or patterns that teach us about diseases. I find clinical data fascinating because it comes from the patients. It’s their story and it’s up to us to think about what that means and how we can apply our knowledge to understand and develop better treatments. 
&nbsp;

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="861" height="916" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/PD-Research.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29642" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/PD-Research.png 861w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/PD-Research-282x300.png 282w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/PD-Research-768x817.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/PD-Research-827x880.png 827w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 861px) 100vw, 861px" /></figure>
 
<h6>What prompted you to come to 23andMe, and what specifically interests you about the Parkinson’s research program? </h6>
I really like the idea that 23andMe is following research participants with Parkinson&#8217;s disease. I’ve worked all my career in doing natural history studies. A big draw for me was the idea that we will be keeping in touch with these patients so we can understand how they evolve and we can link that back to genetics. You can only do so much when you see a patient once. But when you follow them over time you can understand much more. It’s this part that intrigues me. Each patient is a story that contributes to our understanding of Parkinson&#8217;s disease over time. Patterns start to emerge and that can change our understanding of neurological disease. 
<h6>Could you explain a little bit about what you’ll be doing in this new job?</h6>
I’ll be working within the Parkinson&#8217;s disease program to map the clinical features of patients and understand their trajectories. We call this phenotyping. Once we understand the phenotypes we can link this back to the genotype and understand why people with Parkinson&#8217;s disease develop some complications and others do not. We will also be following a group of patients that have increased genetic susceptibility to Parkinson&#8217;s disease, which allows us a key window of opportunity to understand the prodromal/early phase of the disease. The earlier we learn to spot Parkinson&#8217;s disease, the more chance we have of intervening to stop neurons from progressively dying. That’s exciting. 
<h6>What is unique about 23andMe’s data set or our research model that interests you?</h6>
What’s unique is the scale of data that we have and the ability to understand how our genotype influences the risk of developing Parkinson&#8217;s disease and how it may progress. It’s an incredible opportunity to work with a team of scientists so that we can answer important clinical questions and set ourselves up for developing and testing disease-modifying therapies. 
<h6>What are your hopes for the work you are doing?</h6>
My hopes are that we can make a real contribution to understanding not only the risks for developing Parkinson&#8217;s disease by following patients in the prodromal phases but also what’s happening in the lives of patients living with the disease today. I’d hope that this goes back into developing new therapies that target the core of the disease process so that we can prevent Parkinson&#8217;s disease before it emerges or preserve function and stop neurological decline for those already diagnosed.

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