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 With these funds from NIH, an agency of the United States Department
of Health and Human Services, the company intends to use its stores
of genetic data for various research projects. External researchers
will be able to access information on thousands of diseases and
traits for more than 400,000 people.
The grant "enables researchers from around the world to make genetic
discoveries," Anne Wojcicki, chief executive officer of 23andMe,
said in a statement.
23andMe, which is backed by Google Inc , has not always played well
with the federal government. Late last year, it hit a major
regulatory snag when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expressed
concerns about the "public health consequences of inaccurate
results" from 23andMe's $99 DNA test.
The agency took issue with 23andMe's claim that its service could
deliver insights about people's genetic predispositions toward "254
diseases and conditions."
23andMe agreed to stop marketing and selling its test. But it has
continued to grow its genetic database by offering raw health and
ancestral information, such as a person's ethnic heritage, in
exchange for a DNA sample. The company said it has grown to 700,000
customers since 2006.
This grant does not mark a new direction for 23andMe since the FDA's
crackdown, the startup's spokeswoman Catherine Afarian said, as the
company has used its data for research in the past.
However, as it awaits FDA approval, the company appears increasingly
focused on how it can use its existing data-set to contribute to
medical research, while maintaining patient privacy.
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Earlier this week, 23andMe disclosed plans to contribute data to a
study on new genetic risks for Parkinson's disease spearheaded by
researchers at the National Institute on Aging. 23andMe was listed
among more than 50 worldwide institutions in contributing to the
research.
With its fresh funding, 23andMe said it plans to develop web-based
surveys to explore new genetic associations, enhance its survey
tools to collect a broader data-set, utilize whole-genome sequencing
data, and provide researchers with de-identified data from its
existing genetic database.
(Reporting by Christina Farr; Editing by Diane Craft)
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