Pathway Genomics: A New Contestant

There already are plenty of companies offering direct-to-consumer genetic testing such as Navigenics, 23andMe, DecodeMe or Knome. Now, here is Pathway Genomics that aims to offer “the fastest, easiest and most secure DNA testing available, providing information that can save your life” for $249. Quite a brave mission statement, but the service seems to be promising.

You can order the test online, send your salive sample back and then they will share the genomic results of your sample with you through a secure form. You can get information about:

• Risk markers for 90+ diseases
• Maternal and paternal ancestry
• Drug responses including statins and warfarin.
• Carrier status (pre-pregnancy)
• Personal inheritable traits for eye color and back pain, among others.

Here they discuss privacy issues:

Further reading:

• Navigenics: What my genome tells me to do
• A Catalog of Published Genome-Wide Association Studies
• What is Pharmacogenomics?
• Navigenics: Customers speak