Home 5 Clinical Diagnostics Insider 5 Genetics Update: 23andMe Seeks to Upend the Medical Industry via Genetic Testing Information Sharing

Genetics Update: 23andMe Seeks to Upend the Medical Industry via Genetic Testing Information Sharing

by | Aug 27, 2019 | Clinical Diagnostics Insider, Diagnostic Testing and Emerging Technologies, Testing Trends-dtet, The Business of Testing-dtet

Can one company disrupt the entire lab industry? 23andMe seems determined to find out. The Mountain View, California-based personal genomics and biotechnology company, which first marketed its consumer services for tracing ancestry before moving into analysis of health traits, is now planning to take another conceptual leap. According to CNBC reports, 23andMe is looking at a pilot program that would incorporate customers’ lab results, prescription information and medical history with genetic test findings using third-party medical data sharing platform Human API. Implications of Information Sharing The implications are significant. The new information sharing program would put genetics data front and center, allowing it to become a primary tool for evaluating and treating patients. It would also further medical research. Of course, 23andMe isn’t the only consumer company seeking to leverage medical information. Other notable examples include Apple which has developed the Health app enabling patients to aggregate their health records, including lab tests and prescription information, alongside data they generate on their own. Increasingly, Apple Health is used in conjunction with healthcare providers’ patient portals. Diagnostic Challenges The difference between 23andMe and Apple, CNBC points out, is genetics data. And no question, DNA provides the missing link, in more ways […]

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