Hot Deal: Full DNA Analysis By Mail, Now Only $250

Tracing your lineage and assessing your disease risks just got cheaper

By Anna Maria Jakubek Posted 07.15.2009 at 4:03 pm 4 Comments

How It Works: Order, Spit, Mail: Pathway Genomics

Forget that new outfit or tech toy -- next time you have some cash to burn (whenever that may be), why not get an analysis of your genes done? A startup genomics company called Pathway Genomics announced today the most affordable (and exhaustive) public DNA service on the market.

For about $250, you can assess your risk (compared to that of the overall population) for diseases like Alzheimer's and diabetes, and check whether a specific drug will harm your body. For an extra $100, you can also trace your lineage back an incredible 10,000 years (or so they say).

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing has been offered for some time now, though not at this low of a price. When 23andMe came out with their service in 2006, it cost $999 (later slashed to $399). Another service, deCODEme, currently carries a $985 price tag.

Its affordability aside, Pathway Genomics' DNA test is also fabulously easy: it's a simple matter of collecting your saliva in a test tube and mailing it to their San Diego lab. The on-site geneticists then take about eight weeks to complete your full analysis, though, according to the website, they'll send you periodic updates in the interim.

Let's hope these don't sound like macabre fortune cookie notes: "You will develop Parkinson's, lung cancer, glaucoma, and leukemia. Also, obesity."

[Via Yahoo News]

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4 Comments

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ZaireL

07/16/09 at 5:13 am

Thanks for that information. The offer was good we all know that DNA testing is costly. Many try a payday lender to finance DNA testing. Payday lender has applications online or over the phone, and no faxing of documents needed, and no credit check. You can get a payday loan for your instant cash needs. Learn more following the link http://personalmoneystore.com/payday-loans/instant-payday-loans/instant-money/.

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scott_t

07/16/09 at 8:23 am

Hey Zairel, maybe you can get a dna test to see what kind of meat is in that spam.

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hypnometal

07/16/09 at 10:12 am

I'm not sure they're the first - there's a company called GeneSNP that can do this already, and they'll even recommend a supplement regimen for you based on their findings. (I would post a link, but I don't want to get accused of spamming. ;-) )

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clemshea

07/25/09 at 2:43 pm

What an ethical nightmare!!! We just debated this kind of testing in our Genetics course. Holy Cow--wait till the health insurance companies get a hold of our data. We will be denied healthcare based on our our propensity for disease. Don't forget Epigentic Tagging that alters our DNA profile everyday--These tests cannot factor in environmental methylation tagging that changes our DNA and it becomes heritable. Be careful what you ask for--Big Brother times 100!!!

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