Cancer is not one disease, but many, and this has been one of the most challenging aspects of researching cures for cancer. 23andMe is applying its unique research platform to study cancer with research communities focused on sarcoma, myeloproliferative neoplasms, and metastatic breast cancer. Patients from all over the world can contribute directly to research and connect with others who have their disease, all while learning more about themselves.

Tags: breast cancer, Genentech, metastatic breast cancer, MPN, myeloproliferative neoplasm, National Cancer Research Awareness Month, research, sarcoma

Today’s post explains what “Sharing Genomes” means at 23andMe, describes several points to consider when sharing, and introduces some exciting new developments in sharing at 23andMe.

Tags: ancestry finder, Compare Genes, Family Inheritance, Sharing

We at 23andMe have a special place in our hearts for National DNA Day, and we’re teaming up with the Khan Academy to celebrate!

Tags: DNA Day, genetics 101, Khan Academy, National DNA Day

This month, 23andMe published a new article describing the nuts and bolts behind our innovative Relative Finder tool. Primary author Brenna Henn discusses what the findings mean for our notion of “relatives” and explores the many special features of the 23andMe database.

Tags: Ashkenazi ancestry, cousins, relative finder, relatives

A recent paper in PLoS Genetics describes the most comprehensive Parkinson’s disease research database to date. 23andMe contributed to this new database with the help of the many active participants in our Parkinson’s disease research community.

Tags: Parkinson's Disease, PDGene, PLOS Genetics, research

What do media mogul Oprah Winfrey, actress Mary-Louise Parker, and Olympic runner Carl Lewis have in common? All three have been diagnosed with a condition that recently gained “celebrity” status. Not much is known about the genetics of this condition, but 23andMe’s latest publication highlights several novel genetic factors discovered through our web-based, participatory research.

Tags: autoimmune, hypothyroidism, Oprah Winfrey, thyroid

Six months ago, we announced our Exome 80X pilot project. Today, we delivered our first batch of exome data to the earliest project participants, an important milestone in the development of our platform.

Tags: exome, sequencing

This week 23andMe will begin surveying its members to study the biology of sexual orientation. The survey was prompted in part by customer interest, and fueled by our own scientific curiosity. We’re also launching the survey during “Come Out For Health” week, a nationwide event that has for the last nine years sought to promote [...]

Tags: research, sexual orientation, surveys

Like many people around the world, the health content team at 23andMe rang in 2012 with resolutions of staying healthy and it seemed fitting to delve into the genetics underlying response to diet and exercise, eating behavior and cholesterol levels. As we eased in to the new year, we segued into reproduction, updating our existing [...]

Tags: cholesterol, diet, exercise, gestational diabetes, health, health reports, infertility, Lymphoma, myeloproliferative neoplasm, sarcoma, tuberculosis

On Monday we kicked off a campaign for Rare Disease Day to raise awareness of research, especially into two rare diseases, myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) and sarcoma. We hoped to reach 500 participants in our MPN research initiative and 800 participants in our Sarcoma Community by today, and are happy to say that with your help [...]

Tags: MPN, myeloproliferative neoplasm, research, sarcoma