Open up your financial umbrellas, Complete Genomics is going to make it rain. The Mountain View startup has built a name for itself as one of the premier providers of whole genome sequencing for humans. Now we are just days away from their IPO. According to the filing statements with the SEC, Complete Genomics will offer 6 million shares of their stock at a price between $12 to $14. To encourage prospective investors to leap at their offer, the company released details of its current and future production. At the beginning of the year, the worldwide total number of human genomes ever sequenced was less than 300. Complete Genomics produced that many in the third quarter of 2010 alone. They hope to produce 400 genomes per month by the end of the year. These are big numbers, and they’re likely to get bigger. Much much bigger. In our interview with CEO Cliff Reid back in January, he claimed that Complete Genomics would sequence 1 million human genomes by 2014, and at prices substantially lower than any on the market today (possibly < $1000). The race to establish whole genome sequencing supremacy is underway, and this IPO will be a sign of how much faith the public has that Complete Genomics can come out on top.

It’s been a big season for genome sequencing. Ion Torrent, a company developing CMOS based DNA sequencing technology was purchased by Life Technologies for $375 million. Critical parts of the CMOS approach to DNA were actually licensed to Ion Torrent earlier in the year by DNA Electronics, a UK company looking to develop handheld genetic scanners that we’ve discussed before. Pacific Biosciences (NASDAQ: PACB), which has developed optics based DNA sequencing tech, had its IPO at the end of October and raised around $200 million. BGI, China’s premier genome institute recently announced it was teaming up with OpGen to further their own optical approach to DNA sequencing. Everywhere you look, from the EU to California to Asia, forces and finances are gathering to see who will provide the next generation of genome testing and analysis.

This heightened activity in the field may be just what Complete Genomics needs to fuel their IPO. With Ion Torrent selling for $375 M and Pacific Biosciences raising $200 M at a similar share price (~$16), Complete Genomics gets a good idea of what it can raise. The $86 million it hopes to pull in through its stock offering will nearly double what it has gained through venture investments. Complete Genomics gathered $39 million in venture funding this August putting it up to around $91 million in total. With another $86 M, Complete Genomics would have the funds to expand its new sequencing centers aggressively – a key requirement if they are to develop as quickly as Cliff Reid seems to be planning. Investors may look at Complete Genomics’s competitors recent financial gains, compare their tech to CG’s rapidly growing capabilities,and flock to the IPO.

Yet such investments are not without their concerns. Even while raising venture funds, Complete Genomics was fighting off patent infringement lawsuits from Illumina - perhaps their main rival in whole genome sequencing. Genetic testing based on SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) has faced growing concerns over accuracy and relevance in the light of real and perceived errors. The field of genetics, in general, has faced criticism for the lack of real world benefit for patients in the ten years after the first human genome was sequenced. Investors may see Complete Genomics’ cheap whole genome sequencing, which provides phenomenonally more data than SNP tests, as the technology that will come to dominate genetics and reconfirm its importance in medicine. Or they may see the uncertainty in genetics as a great reason to avoid investing in the field altogether.

The same factors which make investments a risk make them very exciting to techno-optimists like myself. I can’t say for certain that Complete Genomics will be the undisputed leader in whole genome sequencing. There’s too much potential competition from Illumina, and the CMOS and optical approaches developed by others are too attractive looking, to call things in Cliff Reid’s favor at the moment. Still, I do think Complete Genomics has the right approach to sequencing: specialize in one field (human genomes) and use economy of scale to push towards ever cheaper and larger production. 400 genomes a month by 2011 is an amazing accomplishment, especially as the costs for materials for each genome may be as low as $1800. The only way Complete Genomics is going to lose is if some other company can beat that. Either way, scientific research and personal genomics will have won. Cheap and fast whole genome sequencing will provide us with huge amounts of new genetic data that we can use to understand illnesses, and provide better healthcare. When your genome costs less than $1000 to sequence, millions all over the world will be encouraged to get themselves tested and claim an informed ownership of their own genetic information. Win or Fail, Complete Genomics’ IPO is another sign that the next DNA revolution is near.

[image credit: Complete Genomics]
[sources: Complete Genomics, SEC]

Will mammoths walk the earth again?

For as long as life has been a feature of this planet, natural selection has been wiping out species with subpar adaptive strategies. Among the casualties: dinosaurs, mammoths, Neanderthals, and all manner of megafauna that we’d all love to see first-hand. Alas, mother nature hasn’t been particularly forgiving of species selected against: for four billion years, extinction meant extinction. That is, until last year.

The exception to this sobering evolutionary rule? The Pyrenean ibex, a kind of goat native to the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France. For a century, this subspecies of Spanish ibex had been living on the brink of extinction; on January 6, 2000, the last surviving Pyrenean ibex (named Celia) was naturally selected against via a falling tree. Fast forward to 2009, when scientists used frozen tissue to successfully clone Celia, making the ibex the first species (or subspecies) to become un-extinct. Well, for seven minutes.

Celia’s second incarnation died shortly after birth due to physical defects in her lungs, one of a variety of problems common to cloned mammals (other defects include malformed hearts, compromised immune systems, and developmental delays). Cloning is generally accomplished by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), a process by which a surrogate egg is implanted with the nuclear DNA of the organism to be cloned. But the process is terribly inefficient: Celia’s DNA was implanted into 439 eggs to form embryos, only 57 of which were implanted into surrogate goats, only 5 of which were born, and only one of which was born alive. And that’s what happens with a good genetic sample.

Cloning requires high quality DNA, which is generally in short supply for extinct species. When an organism dies, its cells release enzymes that break down the nuclear chromosomes into short strands of DNA. Over time, this genetic material gets mixed in with bacterial DNA and other life forms that invade the tissue. Nucleotides can also change over time, swapping A’s for T’s and G’s for C’s. By the time we dig up bones of extinct species, they are often too genetically noisy to pick out the original genome. So what options are there?

There are two potential ways to bring long-extinct species back to the present day, and both involve injecting a surrogate egg with the target species’ DNA. The first method is in vitro fertilization of the egg using frozen sperm. This method produces a hybrid between two species (e.g. an elephant and mammoth) and it is only a viable option if the target species’ and the egg donor species’ DNA are similar enough to produce a viable embryo (you can’t implant a dog with a dinosaur). By backcrossing hybrid offspring, breeders could then produce a more pure lineage over time.

The second method of resurrecting ancient species is by pure cloning: emptying the surrogate egg of its own DNA, and injecting it with a copy of the target species’ genome. There are two potential sources of such a genome: researchers can use well preserved (e.g. frozen) somatic cells, as in Celia’s case, or they can build the genome up themselves. No species has yet been cloned with reconstructed DNA, but for long-gone species it might be our best shot.

The mammoth is probably the most likely species to go un-extinct anytime soon. While most researchers feel that frozen mammoths’ DNA is too damaged for cloning, we are close to having sequenced their entire genome (it will be the first completed genome for a long-dead species). Penn State University’s Mammoth Genome Project has sequenced roughly 85% of the mammoth’s DNA; once the MIT/Harvard Broad Institute’s Elephant Genome Project is completed, cross-comparison will allow PSU to close in on that final 15%. But knowing a species’ sequence doesn’t mean it could be cloned: we would either need to stitch together a synthetic version, or alter an elephant’s genome at the relevant sites. We can’t do either yet.

A mouse cloned from damaged frozen tissue (pictured) at the RIKEN Institute

That’s why some ambitious Japanese scientists are betting on frozen tissue instead. The privately funded Mammoth Creation Project aims to resurrect the long-dead species by retrieving frozen sperm from the tundra and creating an elephant/mammoth hybrid. They even plan to make a Critchon-esque “Pleistocene Park” in Siberia to show off their creation to the world. Not much news has emerged on the efforts’ progress, though the theoretical basis of deep freeze resurrection did get a recent boost. In 2008, researchers at Japan’s RIKEN Institute successfully cloned a mouse whose cells had been damaged from 16 years of sub-freezing temperatures – the technique could potentially translate to mammoth tissue as well.

While mammoths often died and froze in the tundra, Neanderthals have (thus far) left us mostly bones. But that hasn’t stopped progress in the Neanderthal Genome Project, a collaborative effort between Max Planck Institute and 454 Life Sciences. Just this May, an initial draft of the Neanderthal genome was published in Science – and it revealed the widely reported gene swapping (i.e. interbreeding) between their lineage and ours. As with the mammoth, the genetic samples were noisy: fragments of Neanderthal genes were mixed in with bacterial and fungal DNA, as well as the human DNA of the scientists who dug it up (in fact, over 90% of the DNA in the samples were contaminant, i.e. non-Neanderthal).  To distinguish which genetic material in bone samples were Neanderthal and which were not, researchers cross compared the samples with both human and chimp genomes.

As with mammoths, there’s a big difference between sequencing a Neanderthal genome and actually cloning one. A synthetically produced genome would need to be packaged into chromosomes that can be replicated in a cell, which we don’t know how to do yet. George Church has suggested that a technique invented in his lab, called MAGE, could be used to alter an induced pluripotent stem cell into the genome of a Neanderthal. The stem cell could then be induced to grow into a heart, arm, or brain of a Neanderthal for research purposes. And what about cloning a whole organism? It’s conceivable, but raises some rather sticky ethical concerns among the public and scientists alike.

In case you hadn’t guessed, dinosaurs are quite a ways off (just try a googling “Tyrannosaur Genome Project”). Ancient species have fewer close extant relatives which we can use for comparison, and their samples are worse for wear. Still, sequencing is getting faster and faster, and we seem to be doing better with noisy and damaged DNA. If we can iron out the difficulties of chromosome packing and clone viability, we can expect more species to join the un-extinct list. And for the roughly 100 species that go extinct every day?  Well, besides slowing human-caused extinction with animal and environmental conservation, we can always put them on ice in a frozen zoo.

[image credit: Steven W Marcus, ExhibitEase LLC; RIKEN Institute]

[source note: some of the Neanderthal cloning progress came from an excellent article written recently for Archaeology, "Should we clone Neanderthals" by Zach Zorich]

A new genetic test is going to increase milk production in cows and yield big profits.

While it may take years before widespread genetic testing changes humanity, animals are experiencing a difference today. According to Forbes, a single genetic test for breeding dairy cattle has almost completely replaced older pedigree tests in less than two years. Developed by Curtis Van Tessell at the USDA and performed by Illumina, this test costs only $250, replacing the previous system’s $50,000 price tag! The cheaper testing allows smaller dairy farmers to enter into the profitable business of selling cattle eggs and sperm. Using genetic testing, milk producers predict that the annual increase in US milk production will double to 5%. We’re talking about millions of dollars of increased profit in the United States alone. Van Tessell’s new test demonstrates that the age of widespread genetic evaluation has already started.

When it comes to human genetic testing, Illumina is one of the biggest names in the business. It and competitors like Complete Genomics are aiming to bring whole genome sequencing into the price range of most individuals. Right now, more affordable genetic evaluation can focus on key genes in human DNA. These single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are cheaper to test – companies like 23andMe use them exclusively to great avail. In Van Tessell’s test, SNP tests are used to keep track of 38,000 key differences that the USDA team discovered were important in dairy cattle breeding. One wonders how whole genome sequencing will affect animal husbandry. The bovine genome was recently mapped in 2009. Could we see even more profitable breeding? Maybe greater acceptance of germline genetic engineering? The reverse also could be interesting: how will attitudes about human genome testing change when genetic evaluation becomes a staple on the farm?

Funny enough, Illumina wasn’t really interested in getting into the animal testing business. Van Tessell was originally working with Solexa when that company was acquired by Illumina. He had to work tirelessly to convince the new company that his cattle evaluation was a worthwhile endeavor. Finally, Illumina developed a chip (snp 50) to use in Van Tessell’s test. It paid off for everyone. Illumina generates about $50 million a year, 8% of its revenue, through agricultural genetics, of which the cattle testing is a major contributor.

What exactly is the Van Tessell test looking at? A long history of milk production. The USDA Animal Improvement Programs Lab evaluates genetic fitness by examining milk records and certain cells in the udder. This helped the USDA and Van Tessell determine which 38,000 genetic markers would correspond to animals that not only had the best genes for milk production, but were actually passing those genes on to offspring. The last century of pedigrees were only about 30% accurate in finding good dairy cows. No pedigree can be better than 50% (due to uncertainty in which parent will pass on a particular gene). The new genetic test is about 70% accurate in predicting milk production. And again, it costs just $250!

With genetic benefits, however, come genetic concerns. In the past thirty years selective breeding has lead to a 8% increase in milk production per Hollstein cow. It has also generated a system by which only 500 bulls are used to inseminate nearly 9 million heifers. The new test has allowed smaller farms to enter into the sperm and eggs market, finding better breeding stock in previously unevaluated cattle. Yet of the 3000 bulls tested under the new system last year, only 130 qualified for breeding. It seems like the male side of the gene pool is going to stay pretty shallow. I worry about any living product (animal or plant) with a narrow family tree. It opens the way for a small genetic predisposition to a new disease to devastate an entire industry.

That won’t likely be a problem with humans however, and the genetic testing of cattle has some important implications for our own species. A single test is going to double the increase in production, and yield untold profits for milk farmers. What kind of parallel benefits might humans enjoy as genetic evaluation becomes more available? We’ve already seen how SNP testing can help tell you about your susceptibility to certain diseases. The real changes in humans, as with cattle, may come when genetic sequencing starts to affect breeding. People are already clamoring to evaluate their kids, and many may want to start the evaluation process earlier. Would you pay $250 to see if your prospective mate had a genome clear of defects? Some would. Some will. And while public discrimination based on genetics in now illegal in the US (and has been in other nations for some time), private discrimination is still to be determined. Are we going to pay a social/moral price for the profits of genetics? Van Tessell’s work with cows make those profits seem very high. In the next few years humanity may follow the herd.

[photo credit: ESPN]

The race to provide you with access to your genome is really heating up. Industry leader Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN) has completed its first genome sequencing service for an individual at the low-low price of $48,000. That’s almost ten times what Complete Genomics plans to charge, but Illumina is offering the service directly to private individuals, not research groups. In fact, this is the first time any one person has had their genome sequenced for less than $50k. Illumina’s performance shows that it is still one of the forces to be reckoned with in whole human genome sequencing.

What are we to make of Illumina’s successful personalized genome sequencing service? It stacks up well against Knome’s KnomeCOMPLETE™ service which is perhaps the only other successful individual genome sequencing service on the market at the moment. Knome is trying hard to remain a contender in the field, but at $99.5k, it’s more than double Illumnia’s price.  With comparable capabilities and results, price becomes the real determining factor between those two companies.

Of course, it’s hard to take either seriously as a contender against Complete Genomics. $99,500 versus $48,000 versus $5000, which price would you want to pay? Of course, CG is only offering that low price to orders of 40+ genomes. In orders of 8+, they’ll be charging $20,000 (see our earlier article for more). The price for a single solitary genome could be even higher. But it’s actually unclear whether Illumina or Complete Genomics is really after the individual customer market. We know people who are after the individual market, and may be offering it at only $1000, and we’ll get that story published soonish. (It seems like we mention this mystery company every other day. Sheesh)

While CEO of Illumina, Jay Flatley was the first to get his genome sequenced under the new system, the first official customer was Herman Hauser of Amadeus Capital Partners. According to the Illumina website, both men intend to place their genomes in the public domain (potentially doubling the number of such genomes) in order to facilitate understanding and research. The next two customers on the docket are preeminent scholar of African American studies, Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr. and his father, Henry Louis Gates, Sr. As Skip Gates hosted and produced two TV specials on African American heritage that featured DNA tests, I anticipate his genome results will facilitate the production of a third show.

There are two broad approaches to the task of analyzing the entirety of your DNA. You can specialize as much as possible, and in doing so reduce costs, or you can keep your range of applications wide, but sacrifice in economic efficiency. Complete Genomics represents the first approach, Illumina the second. Illumina can sequence DNA and RNA and not just from humans. Their sequencing services are broad, rigorous, and perhaps the most trusted in the industry.

So that’s how I view Illumina’s latest success: just another feather in a well-feathered cap. Unless Illumina drastically brings the costs down, Complete Genomics, or another company like them, will dominate the human genome sequencing market. If Illumina does cut the price, they certainly will enjoy a large share of the market. They have broad respect in a variety of DNA testing fields and they are working with 23andMe, Knome, deCODE Genetics, and Navigenics in secondary data analysis.

Knowledge of your genome is likely to be one of your strongest assets in the decades to come. Current uses and understanding of genetics tend to focus on relatively few genes – single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs. Companies like 23andME help you determine ancestry, risks for diseases, and important trait information just by using SNPs (and some short sequences of DNA). That’s why services from those companies are so cheap. As research into genetic traits continue, the range of ‘interesting’ DNA segments will increase. Whole genome sequencing has the potential to tell you about every inherited aspect of your body. In that light, sequencing your complete genome is likely to change from novelty to necessity.

Anyone who’s read my posts before probably knows that I love when businesses compete. The only thing that makes me happier than knowing someone is trying to provide wide-range access to genome sequencing, is knowing that someone else is trying to do it even cheaper. The public needs that access sooner rather than later. Today, knowing your genome just gives you a little more information for you and your doctor to use when planning your healthcare. Tomorrow, understanding your genome could help you extend your life by 30 years, increase your intelligence, or make you glow in the dark. It all starts with sequencing, and thankfully no one has a monopoly on that. Yet.

Complete Genomics is pushing down the costs of sequencing the human genome.

It’s getting progressively cheaper to sequence your entire genome. Earlier in June, Illumina announced it would provide sequencing for close to $50k, half of their original price. Not to be outdone, Complete Genomics just released on Monday that it had gathered $45 million dollars in funding. The Silicon Valley based company is planning to use that money to further develop their streamline sequencing operations so that they can offer a complete genome for just $5000 by next year. CG’s goal is to finish 10,000 sequences by years end 2010. Even though that’s later than we had hoped, it’s still a whole lot of DNA and at the cheapest price for a whole genome seen so far. The question is, can they really pull it off?

We’ve been looking for a company, any company really, to break the $1000 price mark for a complete genome sequencing sometime in the next few years. That’s about the point where retail sales of the service will explode. With their exponentially decreasing price tag, Complete Genomics might be on that path. However, we know of at least one company that is trying to reach that goal by the end of this year. Stay tuned for that story in the next few weeks.

If you’ve never heard of Complete Genomics, read our first and second story to catch up. Basically they use a common form of short read sequencing and throw in a ton of computer power to sequence a human genome. Interest in personal genomics is escalating as genetic links to diseases are discovered. 23andMe already offers some testing for such diseases and is hoping to gather samples for further clinical trials. By providing the entire genome for perusal on the cheap, CG could make it economically feasible to expand that research into many more illnesses. Already, we’ve shown you how some facilities are erroneously promising to predict a child’s aptitude based on genetic sampling. Perhaps with the cheap sequencing CG could provide, scientific research will match pace with the growing demand for such testing.

Daniel MacArthur of Genetic Future was able to pry CG head Cliff Reid to provide some details in how they hope to achieve their goals. First, Reid disclosed that the test won’t be offered directly to consumers, but rather through retail providers such as Knome and 23andMe. That means the price you or I will see could be considerably higher than $5k. Whatever the retail price, Reid promises 120 billion base pairs sequenced, 98% of the genome, with just one error in 10,000. That’s considerably better stats than what CG offered in February (92% of genome, about one error in 1,000).

Between now and year’s end 2009, Complete Genomics will focus on its dozens of customers currently in the line up. These include the Broad Institute out of MIT and Harvard which announced it was purchasing at least 5 genomes from CG in March. The Broad Institute reportedly paid $20k for each of their genomes which might be taken as the current baseline price for CG customers. If so, that’s a factor of four that the company has to make up between now and next year.

But scaling is no problem for genome sequencing. Remember that it took 15 years to sequence the first human genome, but the next 6 were done in 24 months. Now we’re talking about doing thousands a year. That’s just nuts and one of the amazing parts about sequencing that I love. Exponential growth is sexy science. And it’s supposed to be one of CG’s strengths. They just finished their first genome in the summer of 2008, and are now on schedule to finish 100 by the end of 2009. Current estimates of finishing 1000 by mid 2010, and 9000 more by the end of that year fit within the exponential growth curve. As MacArthur points out, most of these sequencing services will likely be purchased by researchers in genomic and cancer studies. So the demand is also there.

How can CG scale so quickly? By remaining inflexible but efficient. Their process doesn’t rely on making huge improvements in sequencing technology. Or finding a new sequencing technique. It comes down to streamlining the process. Stick to one task, human genome sequencing, miniaturize whenever possible, fewer reagents means lower costs, and build build build. You can bet a huge portion of that $45 million is going to expanding their facilities in Mountain View.

Who provides the cheap genomes is probably less important than the change it will create. While scientific research will undoubtedly benefit first, the public at large will likely become a dominant consumer. Genetic information is on the journey to becoming one of the most important sets of data someone can know about themselves, with insights into disease, aptitudes, and longevity. Give us the chance for cheap access to that info and you’ll never run out of customers. Just a little while longer, it’s bound to happen.

Brin appears to have sunk $10 million into this series B round, while Google has put in $2.6 million.  As if the financial investments weren’t controversial enough, apparently Google and 23andme have entered into some sort of leasing agreement, though the details of this agreement are not available.

For those with their heads in the sand, there are two major types of personal genome sequencing out there.  In the first type, your entire genome is sequenced – every single one of your 3 Billion base pairs.  This procedure is expensive and time consuming, and although companies like Complete Genomics are poised to bring this ability to the masses for about $1,000 per individual in the next year or two, the price is currently much higher.  For the masses who cannot wait for the full genome sequencing from the likes of Complete Genomics, an alternative is to have more than 1 million of the most important or interesting chunks of your DNA, called SNPs, analyzed for much less than $1,000 today.  There are two major players in this space, 23andme and Decodeme.  As we reported earlier, Decodeme is facing imminent bankruptcy, and this latest round of funding shows that even for industry front runner 23andme the market is a tough place to be.

Although the future for personal DNA sequencing is eventually going in the direction of full sequencing of every single base pair, 23andme offers a valuable service in the near term that is charting new ground and helping to pave the way for the ongoing genetics revolution.  Given that the future seems to be in whole genome sequencing, rather than with SNPs, the long term future of 23andme seems perilous…I would not want to be one of their investors for the long term.

Ethical investments and economic viability of the company aside, you gotta hand it to 23andme for being an innovative and leading company in the field of genetics.  They have really stirred things up: making genetics cool, bringing real genetic tools to the masses, and proposing bold initiatives for conquering disease.  Most notably perhaps, our earlier story on the 23andme initiative to gather DNA samples from at least 10,000 people as part of a massive effort to identify genes that may be at the root of Parkinson’s disease is laudable.

Now with more money in the bank, 23andme should be able to plug along for another year or more and further the genomics revolution.  Lets wish them well, for we need all the help we can get to achieve the promise of genetics.

(Disclosure: In my previous career I worked at Google)

More Twisted than the End of an M. Night Shyamalan Movie

The good folks at the Personal Genome Project, founded by the legendary George Church, have gotten the go-ahead from its host institution, Harvard Medical School, to expand from 10 to 100,000 participants.  As a proof of concept, the PGP began with ten people, sharing every facet of their personal information from height and weight to tissue samples and photographs, all of whom allowed the coding region of their genomes to be mapped and put on display online.  Now, the PGP is hoping that it will be able to grow their free database and that scientists will start making connections between genetic sequences and medical conditions.  Already, the genomes are available for download via BitTorrent.

The opportunity presented by the PGP to foster knowledge about the human body is enormous.  As more people become part of the database, clearer links between certain genes, activities, risks and diseases may begin to emerge.  Such a project may one day allow doctors to, in a sense, pre-qualify certain patients for risks based on their genetic coding.  If a risk is known, then it can be either regularly checked and caught early or even treated before it becomes an issue.  This could not only potentially save lives, but it could also be a way to cut healthcare costs.  One could assume that small procedures and early detection are much cheaper to both patients and hospitals than a large and in-depth operation.

There are certainly a lot of people who would object to having all of their personal information up for display, and rightly so.  Thankfully, names and addresses are not shown, but just about everything else is.  Although being one of the first people to take the plunge and join the PGP may expose all those niggling little physical faults to just about anybody who looks at the database, once a significant portion of the country is in the database, it will be very difficult to intentionally find a single person.  Much like phonebooks, Myspace and Facebook, safety is in anonymity.  For those interested in joining the 13,000 people who have already volunteered for the project, click here.

Although this genetic database may still be many years off, it is a tour de force of good old-fashioned science.  There is no fee to view the listings and the amount of brilliant discoveries that could be made from scouring the list is really limitless.  Like any great thing (especially the internet), this database could also be exploited in less than beneficial ways and it will be interesting to see how protection of personal information will balance with freedom of use.  Currently, the database has adopted a Creative Commons Zero agreement, placing no restrictions on how people use the data.  Be sure to stick with Singularity Hub and we’ll be sure to let you know how that turns out.

1. Visit a genetic counselor. These companies specialize in detecting specific genes

2. Scan your whole genome by using a testing company such as 23andMe or deCODEme. By scanning your entire genome you can check much more than your genes. You can check for a million or more genetic markers called SNPs.

3. Perform the test yourself at home! This requires a good deal of work on your part, but the tools required to analyze your genome at home do indeed exist and they will surely become more available, cheaper, and easy to use in the near future