deCODE Launches deCODEme™
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deCODE genetics has announced the launch of deCODEme™, a service that enables individuals to get a detailed look at their own genome.
The company says, “through your subscription to deCODEme™, you can learn what your DNA says about your ancestry, your body --traits such as hair and eye color-- as well as whether you may have genetic variants that have been associated with higher or lower than average risk of a range of common diseases. This information will be continually updated as new discoveries are made.”
Subscribers will create a secure password-controlled personal account. Just a few weeks after sending in a simple cheek swab, customers will receive expert analysis of more than a million key variants across their genome, accessible through an easy-to-use and intuitive user interface.
In more than a decade of pioneering research, deCODE has analyzed the genomes of hundreds of thousands of people from around the world, developing an unrivalled track record in gene discovery, in systems for genetic analysis, as well as data and privacy protection.
"We are pleased to announce the launch of this ground breaking service. Just a few short years after the first completed sequencing of a human genome in 2003, it is now possible to analyze on a single computer chip a large proportion of all of the variations in the genome that make each and every one of us unique. Your genome is yours to discover. In an era when we are encouraged to take greater personal control of our lifestyle and health, we believe we should all have the opportunity to learn what our own genome can tell us about ourselves," said Kari Stefansson, MD, PhD, CEO of deCODE.
"You have the opportunity to take advantage of the best that science has to offer when you learn about disease risks associated with your genetic variations and ancestry with deCODEme™ and you have the opportunity to engage in a fun and interesting exchange when you compare your results to those of your friends. This service is about you, and so we will integrate the feedback that we get from our first subscribers to continue to optimize it, to make deCODEme™ what you want it to be. We invite you to learn more about the service and yourself," Stefansson added.
