Future Now
The IFTF Blog
More Direct To Consumer Genetics
Via GenomeWeb, it looks like another company has joined the growing list of startups selling direct-to-consumer genetics tests. Pathway Genomics launched this week and is offering partial sequencing to help individuals understand their disease risks, ancestry or both--with the most expensive test costing $348.
Yes, you've heard this before. After spending some time looking through the site, I didn't really see much to distinguish Pathway from Navigenics, 23andMe, DNADirect and others who have already established a foothold in the direct-to-consumer genetic testing market. Their only real distinguishing factor seems to be that they maintain an in-house lab that they claim will allow them to place saliva samples into a "DNA Lockbox for safekeeping."
Will it work? In Pathway's defense, a 2007 survey (pdf) found that 92 percent of adults worry that information from their genetic tests "could be used in ways that are harmful to the person." It's not clear, however, that consumers--particularly early adopters of genetic screenings--have any major trust issues with the established testing companies. And that poll preceded the passage of the Genetic Non-Discrimination Act, which should, at least in theory, put to rest concerns of genetic discrimination.
Also this week, Knome launched a service called KnomeSELECT, which will offer more comprehensive genetic screens for $24,500 per person or $39,000 for a couple. Company officials described the new tests as a more cost-effective version of its $100,000 or more sequences, though given the costs of the test, Knome isn't really competing with the lower-cost, partial sequencing companies.