myeloproliferative neoplasm

February 28 is Rare Disease Day – a concept first initiated by the European Rare Disease Organization (EURORDIS) and now recognized around the world. Around 6,800 rare diseases have been...

Earlier this year we met our goal of enrolling 1,000 people in a community of people with a collection of rare blood disorders known as myeloproliferative neoplasms, or MPNs. Since...

Dave Hinds is a Principal Scientist in Statistical Genetics.   Editor’s note: This post has been edited from its original to reflect changes in 23andMe’s product. 23andMe is passionate about...

Ashley Gould, 23andMe’s Vice President Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer We recently topped our goal of enrolling 1,000 people with a group of rare blood disorders known as myeloproliferative...

23andMe is passionate about fighting cancer. We recently launched a Cancer Family History survey and within two months more than 20,000 customers have answered! We're already learning some very interesting things -- read on.

Cancer is not one disease, but many, and this has been one of the most challenging aspects of researching cures for cancer. 23andMe is applying its unique research platform to study cancer with research communities focused on sarcoma, myeloproliferative neoplasms, and metastatic breast cancer. Patients from all over the world can contribute directly to research and connect with others who have their disease, all while learning more about themselves.

Like many people around the world, the health content team at 23andMe rang in 2012 with resolutions of staying healthy and it seemed fitting to delve into the genetics underlying...

Luck is not the word you typically associate with a cancer diagnosis or even a heightened risk of cancer, but some people can see a silver lining even in the...

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are a group of rare blood disorders. First characterized in 1951, it wasn't until 2005 that researchers began to uncover clues about the genetic basis of these diseases. An acquired mutation called V617F in the JAK2 gene is present in many people with MPN, and a growing body of research -- including evidence in 23andMe's MPN research cohort -- suggests that relatively common inherited genetic variants may predispose individuals to V617F-positive MPN.

We hear a lot about common conditions because so many people have them and in contrast relatively little about rare diseases. But how rare is rare? If you add up all the rare diseases it turns out that about 30 million Americans suffer from a rare disease. That’s nearly 10% of the population – suddenly rare is not so rare! Today is Rare Disease Day, so learn more about how you can help raise awareness.