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A U.S. personal genetics company, 23andMe, is now offering health and ancestry information based on analysis of DNA to Canadians.
“Our mission is to ensure that people can access, understand and benefit from the human genome — and our Canadian offering truly speaks to that,” said Anne Wojcicki, CEO and co-founder of 23andMe. “As we continue to pioneer personal genetics, we are excited to provide Canadian residents with an even deeper understanding of their genetic information to make informed decisions about their health and lifestyle.”
In addition to genetic ancestry analysis, all new 23andMe customers in Canada will now have access to 108 health-related reports including genetic risk factors for various health conditions, drug response, trait reports and inherited conditions. Canadian customers who joined 23andMe on November 22, 2013, through September 30, 2014, will also have immediate access to their health information for free.
“Our approach to presenting health information for Canadians has been informed by conversations with a number of leading stakeholders in the scientific community and professional associations. This included meeting with bio-ethicists, medical geneticists, genetic counselors, researchers and various medical professional associations across Canada,” said Wojcicki. “The health information available to Canadians focuses on individual genetic markers with well-established associations that have clinical validity and that could be incorporated into the management of an individual’s health.”
Canadian customers can also choose to participate in 23andMe’s unique research programs, helping to accelerate the pace of discovery and advancing understanding of the human genome. Prior to today’s announcement, more than 20,000 Canadians have already used 23andMe’s Personal Genome Service® to explore their own genetic information, and more than 80 percent of 23andMe’s Canadian customers are already actively participating in research.
Agencies/Canadajournal
When is Canada going to wake up and put forward some legislation to protect individuals genetic data from insurance companies? It is my understanding that if someone in Canada undergoes a genetic test and obtains results that indicate a certain condition, this information is not safe from insurance companies. The US has a law to prevent this, but as usual, Canada lags behind. I will not be getting 23ANDme testing until my info is protected by legislation.