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Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

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Genetic Data Privacy Becomes a Hot Topic after 23andMe Announces Bankruptcy Plans

Clinical laboratories should use this situation as an opportunity to ask questions about their own data privacy approaches

While the drama surrounding 23andMe’s bankruptcy announcement has taken the spotlight—cofounder Anne Wojcicki resigned as CEO so that she can attempt to be the top bidder for the company in bankruptcy court—the more interesting long-term debate for clinical laboratories may be about genetic data privacy.

The 20-year-old direct-to-consumer genetic testing company stated in an investor news release on March 23 that it would enter bankruptcy to get a better handle on operational and financial challenges.

In a post on LinkedIn, Wojcicki wrote, “If I am fortunate enough to secure the company’s assets through the restructuring process, I remain committed to our long-term vision of being a global leader in genetics and establishing genetics as a fundamental part of healthcare ecosystems worldwide.”

Wojcicki also heralded the 15 million people who sent in their samples and became customers. Many of them also agreed to clinical research based on those submissions. “What made so many of our innovations possible were the 85% of our customers who opted in to research,” she wrote.

“I have resigned as CEO of the company so I can be in the best position to pursue the company as an independent bidder,” said Anne Wojcicki (above), cofounder of 23andMe, wrote on LinkedIn. It remains to be seen how 23andMe’s bankruptcy will affect clinical laboratories. (Photo copyright: Wikimedia Commons.)

Customer Data Can Be Sold as an Asset During Bankruptcy

Those samples now find themselves in a murky area involving genetic data privacy. Will a court allow creditors to acquire that data as an asset to satisfy 23andMe’s financial obligations? And will people who gave samples to a company they presumably trusted be happy if that information ends up in other hands?

“Comprehensive data privacy legislation has been enacted across the United States and globally, including the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation,” the Harvard Law Review noted in a March 2025 story about data assets during bankruptcy. “With this development has come a renewed focus on data privacy in bankruptcy, where a debtor is likely to sell its customer data to pay its debts.”

In fact, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, JD, urged residents in that state to consider the California law’s options in light of the bankruptcy announcement. “I remind Californians to consider invoking their rights and directing 23andMe to delete their data and destroy any samples of genetic material held by the company,” Bonta said in a statement.

The Harvard Law Review noted that federal law allows for the appointment of ombudsmen in bankruptcy cases to protect consumer data, but that approach “has been ineffective at meeting that goal.” There is no word at this early stage whether the 23andMe bankruptcy will involve an ombudsman.

How Did 23andMe End Up in Bankruptcy?

Business models and criminals helped push the once thriving 23andMe to the point of bankruptcy. The company in 2021 had a $6 billion market cap. As of close of business on March 24, 2025, the cap hovered just over $20 million.

One long-term issue: There was often no need for anyone to be a repeat customer of 23andMe once they purchased their initial direct-to-consumer genetic test. “It didn’t really have a continuing business model—once you’d paid for your DNA report, there was very little for you to return for,” the BBC reported on Nov. 2.

Clinical labs are clearly in a better position here, as in addition to one-off genetic tests, they offer many medical assays that need to happen dozens or more times over a patient’s life.

Also, 23andMe had a difficult time gaining momentum for its anonymized DNA database that clinical researchers could use, according to the BBC.

Cybercrime may have also taken its toll. As reported by Dark Daily in “Data Theft at 23andMe Leaks Genetic and Personal Information for Thousands, Targets Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese,” 23andMe suffered a corporate black eye after hackers stole millions of data points from the company’s customer files.

A year later, 23andMe agreed to pay $30 million to settle a lawsuit over the stolen data, Reuters reported. The hack accessed information for 6.9 million customers.

Clinical Laboratories Must Be Wary of Genetic Data Privacy

It’s not hard to imagine clinical laboratories that perform genetic testing finding themselves in a situation similar to 23andMe with genetic data privacy on the line because of a business transaction. Some clinical laboratories do go bankrupt, but a more common occurrence is for a lab to be bought out by a competitor or one of the large national laboratory companies.

Clinical lab leaders may want to ask themselves these questions about genetic data privacy:

  • If a lab’s genetic testing information changed owners, would that damage parties’ reputation in the community?
  • Is there a triage plan in place to deal with any customers who want their data erased prior to any acquisition or merger?

Watch for in-depth analysis about the implications to clinical labs from the 23andMe bankruptcy in an upcoming issue of The Dark Report. Not a subscriber? Try a 14-day free trial today.                      

—Scott Wallask

Orchid Health Announces Release of First Commercially-Available Whole Genome Sequencing Service for Certain Diseases in Preimplantation Embryos

Clinical laboratory managers should note that this company’s new diagnostic offering involving screening embryos for specific genetic conditions is not without controversy

Is the world ready for whole genome sequencing (WGS) of preimplantation embryos to help couples undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments know if their embryos  have potential genetic health problems? Orchid Health, a clinical preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) laboratory that conducts genetic screening in San Francisco, believes the answer is yes! But the cost is high, and the process is not without controversy.

According to an article in Science, Orchid’s service—a sequencings of the whole human genome of preimplantation embryos at $2,500 per embryo tested—“will look not just for single-gene mutations that cause disorders such as cystic fibrosis, but also more extensively for medleys of common and rare gene variants known to predispose people to neurodevelopmental disorders, severe obesity, and certain psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia.”

However, Science also noted that some genomics researchers “claim the company inappropriately uses their data to generate some of its risk estimates,” adding that the “Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC), an international group of more than 800 researchers working to decode the genetic and molecular underpinnings of mental health conditions, says Orchid’s new test relies on data [PGC] produced over the past decade, and that the company has violated restrictions against the data’s use for embryo screening.”

There are some who assert that a whole genome sequence of an embryo—given today’s state of genetic technology and knowledge—could generate information that cannot be interpreted accurately in ways that help parents and doctors make informed prenatal testing decisions. At the same time, criticisms expressed by the PGC raise reasonable points.

Perhaps this is a sign of the times. Orchid Health is the latest genetic testing company that is looking to get ahead of genetic testing competitors with its diagnostics offerings. Meanwhile, knowledgeable and credible experts question the appropriateness of this testing, given the genetic knowledge that exists today.

Noor Siddiqui

“This is a major advance in the amount of information parents can have,” Orchid’s founder and CEO Noor Siddiqui (above) told CNBC. “The way that you can use that information is really up to you, but it gives a lot more control and confidence into a process that, for all of history, has just been totally left to chance.” Should Orchid Health’s analysis prove useful, pediatricians could order further clinical laboratory prenatal testing to confirm and diagnose potential genetic diseases for parents. (Photo copyright: General Assembly.)

Orchid Receives World-class Support

Regardless of the pushback from some genetic researchers, Orchid has attracted several world-class geneticists and genetics investors to its board of advisors. They include:

The WGS test, according to Orchid, detects genetic errors in embryos that are linked to severe illnesses before a pregnancy even begins. And by sequencing 99% of an embryo’s DNA, the test can spot potential health risks that could affect a future baby.

According to its website, the PGT lab company uses the WGS data to identify both monogenic (single-gene) and polygenic (multiple-gene) diseases, including:

The company also claims its genetic screening can predict the risk of brain health issues in the unborn, such as Alzheimer’s disease, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, as well as heart health issues such atrial fibrillation and coronary artery disease.

Other health problems such as celiac disease and Type I/II diabetes also can be forecasted with the test, Orchid claims. 

Not all Genetics Experts Agree

Orchid is not without its critics. Knowledgeable, credible experts have questioned the appropriateness of this type of genetic testing. They fear it could become a modern-day form of eugenics.

Andrew McQuillin, PhD, Professor of Molecular Psychiatry at University College London, has concerns about Orchid’s preimplantation genetic testing. He maintains that it is difficult to control how such data is used, and that even the most accurate sequencing techniques do not predict disease risk very well. 

“[Polygenic risk scores are] useful in the research context, but at the individual level, they’re not actually terribly useful to predict who’s going to develop schizophrenia or not,” McQuillin told Science. “We can come up with guidance on how these things should be used. The difficulty is that official guidance like that doesn’t feature anywhere in the marketing from these companies.”

McQuillin also stated that researchers must have an extensive discussion regarding the implications of this type of embryo screening.

“We need to take a look at whether this is really something we should be doing. It’s the type of thing that, if it becomes widespread, in 40 years’ time, we will ask, ‘What on Earth have we done?’” McQuillin emphasized.

Redefining Reproduction

It takes about three weeks for couples to receive their report back from Orchid after completing the whole genome sequence of a preimplantation embryo. A board-certified genetic counselor then consults with the parents to help them understand the results. 

Founder and CEO Noor Siddiqui hopes Orchid will be able to scale up its operations and introduce more automation to the testing process to the cost per embryo.

“We want to make this something that’s accessible to everyone,” she told CNBC.

“I think this has the potential to totally redefine reproduction,” she added. “I just think that’s really exciting to be able to make people more confident about one of the most important decisions of their life, and to give them a little bit more control.”

Clinical laboratories have long been involved in prenatal screening to gain insight into risk levels associated with certain genetic disorders. Even some of that testing comes with controversy and ambiguous findings. Whether Orchid Health’s PGT process delivers accurate, reliable diagnostic insights regarding preimplantation embryos remains to be seen.

—JP Schlingman

Related Information:

Genetics Group Slams Company for Using Its Data to Screen Embryos’ Genomes

Reproductive Startup Launches Test to Identify an Embryo’s Genetic Defects Before an IVF Pregnancy Begins

What Is the Difference Between Monogenic and Polygenic Diseases?

First Clinical Validation of Whole Genome Screening on Standard Trophectoderm Biopsies of Preimplantation Embryos

Orchid Tests Embryos for Genetic Diseases. It Just Raised $12 Million with This 11-Slide Pitch Deck

Data Theft at 23andMe Leaks Genetic and Personal Information for Thousands, Targets Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese

Federal class action lawsuit looms as genetics company searches for what went wrong; a reminder to clinical laboratories of the importance of protecting patient information

Several years ago, security experts warned that biotechnology and genomics company 23andMe, along with other similar genetics companies, would be attacked by hackers. Now those predictions appear to have come true, and it should be a cautionary tale for clinical laboratories. In an October 6 blog post, the genetic testing company confirmed that private information from thousands of its customers was exposed and may be being sold on the dark web.

According to Wired, “At least a million data points from 23andMe accounts appear to have been exposed on BreachForums.” BreachForums is an online forum where users can discuss internet hacking, cyberattacks, and database leaks, among other topics.

“Hackers posted an initial data sample on the platform BreachForums earlier this week, claiming that it contained one million data points exclusively about Ashkenazi Jews,” Wired reported, adding that “hundreds of thousands of users of Chinese descent” also appear to be impacted.

The leaked information included full names, dates of birth, sex, locations, photos, and both genetic and ancestry results, Bleeping Computer reported.

For its part, 23andMe acknowledges the data theft but claims “it does not see evidence that its systems have been breached,” according to Wired.

Anne Wojcicki

Anne Wojcicki (above) is the co-founder and CEO of genetics company 23andMe, which on October 24 told its customers in an email, “There was unauthorized access to one or more 23andMe accounts that were connected to you through DNA Relatives. As a result, the DNA Relatives profile information you provided in this feature was exposed to the threat actor.” Clinical laboratories must work to ensure their patient data is fully secured from similar cyber theft. (Photo copyright: TechCrunch.)

23andMe Claims Data Leak Not a Security Incident

The data leaked has been confirmed by 23andMe to be legitimate. “Threat actors used exposed credentials from other breaches [of other company’s security] to access 23andMe accounts and steal the sensitive data. Certain 23andMe customer profile information was compiled through access to individual 23andMe.com accounts,” a 23andMe spokesperson told Bleeping Computer.

However, according to the company, the leak does not appear to be a data security incident within the 23andMe systems. “The preliminary results of this investigation suggest that the login credentials used in these access attempts may have been gathered by a threat actor from data leaked during incidents involving other online platforms where users have recycled login credentials,” the spokesperson added.

What the genetics company has determined is that compromised accounts were from users choosing the DNA Relative feature on their website as a means to find and connect to individuals related to them. Additionally, “the number of accounts sold by the cybercriminal does not reflect the number of 23andMe accounts breached using exposed credentials,” Bleeping Computer noted.

Price of Private Information

Following the 23andMe data leak, the private genetic information was quickly available online … for a price.

“On October 4, the threat actor offered to sell data profiles in bulk for $1-$10 per 23andMe account, depending on how many were purchased,” Bleeping Computer reported.

Stolen medical records are becoming hotter than credit card information, the experts say. “Stolen records sell for as much as $1,000 each,” according to credit rating agency Experian, Bleeping Computer noted.

In its 2018 Global Security Report, “cybersecurity firm Trustwave pegged the black-market value of medical records at $250 each. Credit card numbers, on the other hand, sell for around $5 each on the dark web … while Social Security numbers can be purchased for as little as $1 each,” Fierce Healthcare reported.

Clinical laboratory managers and pathologists should take note of the value that the dark web places on the medical records of a patient, compared to the credit card numbers of the same individual. From this perspective, hacking a medical laboratory to steal patient health data can be much more lucrative than hacking the credit card data from a retailer.

Inevitable Federal Lawsuit

Regardless of what security measures the 23andMe site boasts, the breach quickly brought a proposed federal class action suit filed on October 9 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The suit, “filed by plaintiffs repressing all persons who had personal data exposed,” claims that information from Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Sergey Brin were among the leak, Bloomberg Law reported.

“Victims of the breach are now at increased risk of fraud and identity theft, and have suffered damages in the form of invasion of privacy, lost time and out-of-pocket expenses incurred responding to the breach, diminished value of their personal information, and lost benefit of the bargain with 23andMe,” according to court documents.

“The lawsuit brings claims of negligence, breach of implied contract, invasion of privacy/intrusion upon seclusion, unjust enrichment, and declaratory judgment,” Bloomberg Law noted. Additionally, the claim states that 23andMe “failed to provide prompt and adequate notice of the incident.”

Plaintiffs are “seeking actual damages, compensatory damages, statutory damages, punitive damages, lifetime credit-monitoring services, restitution, disgorgement, injunctive relief, attorneys’ fees and costs, and pre-and post-judgment interest,” Bloomberg Law reported.

Preventing Future Data Leaks

Years of experts warning genetics companies like 23andMe that they need more strict data security have proven to be true. “This incident really highlights the risks associated with DNA databases,” Brett Callow, a threat analyst at data security firm Emsisoft, told Wired. “The fact that accounts had reportedly opted into the ‘DNA Relatives’ feature is particularly concerning as it could potentially result in extremely sensitive information becoming public.”

“Callow notes that the situation raises broader questions about keeping sensitive genetic information safe and the risks of making it available in services that are designed like social networks to facilitate sharing. With such platforms come all of the data privacy and security issues that have plagued traditional social networks, including issues related to data centralization and scraping,” Wired noted.

Clinical laboratory databases are full of protected health information (PHI). Wise lab managers will work to ensure that their medical lab’s patient data is secure from today’s cyberthreats.

—Kristin Althea O’Connor

Related Information:

23andMe Blog Post: Addressing Data Security Concerns

23andMe Sued Over Hack of Genetic Data Affecting Thousands

23andMe Notifies Customers of Data Breach into Its ‘DNA Relatives’ Feature

Genetics Firm 23andMe Says User Data Stolen in Credential Stuffing Attack

23andMe User Data Stolen in Targeted Attack on Ashkenazi Jews

Industry Voices—Forget Credit Card Numbers. Medical Records Are the Hottest Items on the Dark Web

Hacker Claims to Have Stolen Genetic Data from Millions Of 23andMe Users and Is Trying to Sell the Information Online

US District Court California Northern District (San Francisco) Civil Docket for Case #: 3:23-Cv-05147-EMC

2018 Trustwave Global Security Report

Ransomware Activity Targeting the Healthcare and Public Health Sector

23andMe Sued After Hacker Claims Massive Data Breach Impacting Ashkenazi Jews

Five Biggest Risks of Sharing Your DNA with Consumer Genetic-Testing Companies

The FTC Is Investigating DNA Firms Like 23andme and Ancestry over Privacy

Forbes Ranks Epic’s Judith Faulkner the Richest Woman in Healthcare in Its 2021 List of 100 Richest Self-Made Women in US

Within the in vitro diagnostics and clinical laboratory space, Bio-Rad’s Alice Schwartz and 23andMe’s Anne Wojcicki also were recognized by Forbes

At $6.5 billion net worth, Forbes, in its 2021 list of the 100 richest self-made women in the US, ranked Judith Faulkner, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Epic Systems Corp., in second place overall. But in the industry of healthcare, she tops the list by far. The next nearest healthcare-related “richest woman” is Alice Schwartz, co-founder of Bio-Rad Laboratories, at $2.9 billion.

Faulkner was surpassed on Forbes’ list only by roofing material magnate Diane Hendricks, co-founder of ABC Supply Co., whose net worth of $11 billion puts her squarely in the top spot.

Richest Self-Made Women in Healthcare

Becker’s Hospital Review highlighted the seven richest “self-made” women who ran healthcare-related companies. They include:

Also listed by Forbes was Anne Wojcicki, CEO and founder of 23andMe, a personal genomics and biotechnology company. Wojcicki’s net worth of $1.1 billion puts her in the 25th position, according to Forbes.

In “Genetic Test Company 23andMe Completes Merger with Richard Branson’s VG Acquisition Corp., Stock Now Trades on NASDAQ,” Dark Daily noted that since the Sunnyvale, Calif. direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing company will now be filing quarterly earnings reports, pathologists and clinical laboratory managers will have the opportunity to learn more about how 23andMe serves the consumer market for genetic types and how it is generating revenue from its huge database containing the genetic sequences from millions of people.

Judith Faulkner and Alice Schwartz

Judith Faulkner (left), founder and CEO of Epic Systems Corp., and Alice Schwartz (right), co-founder of Bio-Rad Laboratories, ranked 2nd and 10th respectively in Forbes’ list of the top 100 richest self-made women. In healthcare, Faulkner ranks 1st and Schwartz 2nd. Clinical laboratory personnel will likely be familiar with Epic Beaker, which, according to Healthcare IT Leaders, “is Epic’s laboratory information system (LIS) for hospitals, clinics, patient service centers, and reference labs. The software supports common workflows for clinical pathology (CP) labs as well as anatomic pathology (AP) labs.”  (Photo copyrights: HIT Consultant/Science History Institute.)

How did Faulkner Make Epic So Epic?

It all started in 1979 when Faulkner and a colleague invested $70,000 to launch Human Services Computing, which became Epic, noted Forbes in “The Billionaire Who Controls Your Medical Records.”

“I always liked making things out of clay. And the computer was clay of the mind. Instead of physical, it was mental,” Faulkner, who is 77, told Forbes.

Company milestones noted by Forbes include:

  • Inking a deal in 2004 with Kaiser Permanente for a three-year, $400-million project.
  • Moving in 2005 to a corporate campus in southern Wisconsin—an “adult Disney World” with the largest underground auditoriums and more “fantastical” buildings.
  • More recently, AdventHealth of Altamonte Springs, Fla., contracted with Epic for a $650 million remote build and installation.

“Epic’s system has tentacles that go out through amazing networks. You can actually help a person get the care they need wherever they need to get it,” AdventHealth’s CEO Terry Shaw told Forbes.

In about two years, Epic plans to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) Electronic Health Record (EHR) documentation tool aimed at transcribing clinician and patient conversations in real-time, EHR Intelligence reported.

However, Epic may face competition from IT startups in areas including ancillary services, where clinical laboratories, for example, are seeking genomic data storage and introducing new genetic tests, according to Becker’s Hospital Review in its report on analysis by CB Insights, titled, “Unbundling Epic: How The Electronic Health Record Market Is Being Disrupted.”

“I think that what will happen is that a few of them will do very well. And the majority of them won’t. “It’s not us as much as the health systems who have to respond to the patient saying, ‘Send my data here,’ or ‘Send my data there,’” Faulkner told Forbes.

Bio-Rad’s Alice Schwartz an IVD ‘Pioneer’

As Faulkner rose to prominence in healthcare IT, Alice Schwartz of Bio-Rad Laboratories found massive success in the in vitro diagnostics industry.

She and her late husband, David, started Bio-Rad with $720 in 1952 in Berkeley, Calif. They were intent on offering life science products and services aimed at identifying, separating, purifying, and analyzing chemical and biological materials, notes the company’s website.

“They were at the right place and at the right time as they became pioneers in the industry,” International Business Times (IBT) stated.

Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE:BIO and BIOb) of Hercules, Calif., offers life science research and clinical diagnostic products. The company’s second quarter (Q2) 2021 net sales were $715.9 million, an increase of about 33% compared to $536.9 million in Q2 2020, according to a news release. Its Clinical Diagnostics segment Q2 sales were $380 million, an increase of 34% compared to 2020.

Norman Schwartz, the founders’ son, is Bio-Rad’s Chairman of the Board,

President, and CEO. However, at age 94, Alice Schwartz, the oldest person on Forbes’ richest self-made women list, “has no sign of stopping soon,” IBT reported.

Lists are fun. Medical laboratory and diagnostics professionals may admire such foresight and perseverance. Judith Faulkner and Alice Schwartz are extraordinary examples of innovative thinkers in healthcare. There are others­—many in clinical laboratories and pathology groups.

Donna Marie Pocius

Related Information

Forbes’ Ranking of the Country’s Most Successful Women Entrepreneurs and Executives 2021

Healthcare’s Richest Self-Made Women, Per Forbes

Epic Systems Founder-CEO Judy Faulkner Wields Great Power and Responsibility in Healthcare IT

Unbundling Epic: How the Electronic Health Record Market is Being Disrupted

The Billionaire Who Controls Your Medical Records

Epic in Process of Developing AI EHR Documentation Assistant

Epic’s Revenue Hit $3.3B in 2020; 10 ways the EHR Giant’s Dominance is Opening Doors for Competition

Bio-Rad Reports Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Alice Schwartz Net Worth: Oldest, Richest Woman in U.S. is Worth $2.2B

Genetic Test Company 23andMe Completes Merger with Richard Branson’s VG Acquisition Corp; Stock Now Trades on NASDAQ

Genetic Test Company 23andMe Completes Merger with Richard Branson’s VG Acquisition Corp., Stock Now Trades on NASDAQ

23andMe executives say they plan to leverage their database of millions of customer genotypes ‘to help accelerate personalized healthcare at scale,’ a key goal of precision medicine

In what some financial analysts believe may be an indication that popularity of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing among customers who seek info on their ethnic background and genetic predisposition to disease is waning, personal genomics/biotechnology company 23andMe announced it has completed its merger with Richard Branson’s VG Acquisition Corp. (NYSE:VGAC) and is now publicly traded on NASDAQ.

According to a 23andMe news release, “The combined company is called 23andMe Holding Co. and will be traded on The Nasdaq Global Select Market (“NASDAQ”) beginning on June 17, 2021, under the new ticker symbol ‘ME’ for its Class A Common shares and ‘MEUSW’ for its public warrants.”

Now that it will file quarterly earnings reports, pathologists and clinical laboratory managers will have the opportunity to learn more about how 23andMe serves the consumer market for genetic types and how it is generating revenue from its huge database containing the genetic sequences from millions of people.

After raising $600 million and being valued at $3.5 billion, CNBC reported that 23andMe’s shares rose by 21% during its first day of trading.

Anne Wojcicki

“23andMe is more than just a genetics company. We are an activist brand that is approaching healthcare and drug discovery with the individual at the center, as our partner,” said Anne Wojcicki (above), 23andMe’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, during remarks she gave after ringing the opening bell on the company’s first day of public trading, a 23andMe blog post noted. “We are going to continue pioneering a consumer-centered personalized healthcare world. We are going to show that drug discovery can be more efficient when you start with a human genetic insight,” she continued. (Photo copyright: TechCrunch.)

Might the quick rise in its stock price be a sign that 23andMe—with its database of millions of human genotypes—has found a lucrative path forward in drug discovery?

23andMe says that 80% of its 10.7 million genotyped customers have consented to sharing their data for research, MedCity News reported, adding that, “The long-term focus for 23andMe still remains using all of its accumulated DNA data to strike partnerships with pharmaceutical companies.”

Time for a New Direction at 23andMe

While 23andMe’s merger is a recent development, it is not a surprising direction for the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company, which launched in 2006, to go.

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, both 23andMe and its direct competitor Ancestry had experienced a decline in direct-to-consumer testing sales of at-home DNA and genealogy test kit orders. This decline only accelerated during the pandemic.

In “With Consumer Demand for Ancestry and Genealogy Genetic Tests Waning, Leading Genomics Companies Are Investigating Ways to Commercialize the Aggregated Genetics Data They Have Collected,” Dark Daily reported how, “faced with lagging sales and employee layoffs, genomics companies in the genealogy DNA testing market are shifting their focus to the healthcare aspects of the consumer genomics data they have compiled and aggregated.”

Meanwhile, 23andMe Therapeutics, a division focused on research and drug development, has been on the rise, Bloomberg News reported. On its website, 23andMe said it has ongoing studies in oncology, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases.

“It’s kind of an ideal time for us,” Wojcicki told Bloomberg News.

“There are huge growth opportunities ahead,” said Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, which sponsors the special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) VG Acquisition Corp., in the 23andMe news release.

In a VG Acquisition Corp. news release, Branson said, “Of the hundreds of companies we reviewed for our SPAC, 23andMe stands head and shoulders above the rest.”

“As an early investor, I have seen 23andMe develop into a company with enormous growth potential. Driven by Anne’s vision to empower consumers, and with our support, I’m excited to see 23andMe make a positive difference to many more people’s lives,” he added.

Report Bullish on Consumer Genetic Testing

Despite the apparent saturation of the direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing market, and consumers’ concerns about privacy, Infiniti Research reported that worldwide sales of DTC tests “are poised to grow by $1.39 bn during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of over 16% during the forecast period.”

“This study identifies the advances in next-generation genetic sequencing as one of the prime reasons driving the direct-to-consumer genetic testing market growth during the next few years. Also, reduction in the cost of services and growing adoption of online service platforms will lead to sizable demand in the market,” the report states.

Clinical laboratory leaders will want to stay abreast of 23andMe rise as a publicly-traded company. It will be interesting to see if Wojcicki’s vision about moving therapies into clinics in five years comes to fruition. 

—Donna Marie Pocius

Related Information

23andMe Successfully Closes its Business Combination with VG Acquisition Corp.

23andMe to Merge with Virgin Group’s VG Acquisition Corp. to Become Publicly-Traded Company Set to Revolutionize Personalized Healthcare and Therapeutic Development through Human Genetics

Ringing in 23andMe’s Next Chapter

Genetic Testing Company 23andMe Rises in First Trade After Richard Branson SPAC Merger

Four Takeaways From 23andMe’s SPAC Deal

23andMe DNA Testing Firm Goes Public Following Branson Deal

Global Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market

With Consumer Demand for Ancestry and Genealogy Genetic Tests Waning, Leading Genomics Companies Are Investigating Ways to Commercialize the Aggregated Genetic Data They Have Collected

Consumer Genetic Testing Company 23andMe to Merge with Sir Richard Branson’s VG Acquisition Corp and Go Public

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