Today we’re going to look back at some of the health-related Spittoon highlights (a completely subjective list!) of 2009.

Hepatitis

Millions of people worldwide are chronically infected with some form of hepatitis virus, putting them at risk for cirrhosis and liver cancer.  In 2009 several studies identified genetic factors that influence susceptibility to hepatitis and response to treatment.

SNPwatch: Immune System Variations May Determine Susceptibility To Chronic Hepatitis B Infection

SNPwatch: Genetic Variation Predicts Hepatitis C Treatment Success

SNPwatch: More Evidence That Genetic Variations are Important for Hepatitis C Infection and Treatment

Melanoma

A study published in March offered insight into why melanoma, a rare but potentially deadly form of skin cancer, is more common in women under 40 than men in the same age group.

SNPwatch: Genetic Variation May Explain Why Young Women Are At Greater Risk For Melanoma Compared to Young Men

Alcohol Flush and Esophageal Cancer

Also in March, researchers issued a warning to physicians about the connection between “alcohol flush” and esophageal cancer.

Researchers Warn That Physicians Need To Ask About Alcohol “Flushing” To Reduce Esophageal Cancer Risk

Cystic Fibrosis Severity

Two studies in 2009 looked at how the severity of disease experienced by people with cystic fibrosis can be impacted by changes in genes other than CFTR.

SNPwatch: Genetic Variation That Reduces Immune Cell Activity May Lessen Severity of Lung Damage in Cystic Fibrosis Patients

SNPwatch: Genetic Flaw that Causes Rare Metabolic Condition May Also Increase Risk of Severe Liver Disease in Cystic Fibrosis

Glaucoma

In September a study found variants associated with glaucoma in people with African ancestry, a population that develops glaucoma at rates five times higher than Europeans and is also at much higher risk of blindness once glaucoma has set in.

SNPwatch: Common Variants May Influence Glaucoma Risk in Individuals of African Descent

Cisplatin-induced Hearing Loss

Just last month, researchers published results showing that certain genetic variants increase the risk for hearing loss in children after treatment with a common chemotherapy drug.

SNPwatch: Genetic Variations May Impact Risk of Hearing Loss in Children Receiving Common Chemotherapy Drug

Leprosy

The bacteria that causes leprosy is hard to study, but researchers have learned more about susceptibility to the disease by studying human genetics.

SNPwatch: Genetic Association Study of Leprosy Yields New Insights into an Ancient Disease

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Some people want to know everything their genetics can tell them, while others are interested in only part of the story.  That’s why starting next week, on Thursday November 19^th , we will begin offering our service as two distinct products to better meet the needs of our customers:  The 23andMe Ancestry Edition and The 23andMe Health Edition.  If you are interested in both the ancestry and the health aspects of your genetics, you’ll have the option of purchasing the combined 23andMe Complete Edition.

Prices for all versions of the 23andMe Editions will be changing November 19^th, but if you act quickly you can get our Personal Genome Service, which will automatically be converted to the Complete Edition, for the lower price of $399.

23andMe Ancestry Edition – $399

23andMe has always offered the most comprehensive look at your DNA ancestry.  With the 23andMe Ancestry Edition we will continue to provide maternal, paternal and autosomal ancestry information, but we’ll also be adding an exciting new feature: Relative Finder.  This innovative tool will allow you to grow your family tree like never before, and discover relatives you never knew you had.

The Relative Finder algorithm compares your SNPs to those of other 23andMe customers.  Using the frequency and length of shared DNA segments, we calculate whether there is a possible relationship between two people. What you’ll see is a list of these potential relatives (with their identity and yours kept anonymous) who you can then directly and anonymously contact.  Some of our early testers have already found new relatives and identified the great-great-great-great-great grandparent that they have in common!

To complement Relative Finder we’ll also be launching a new ancestry lab feature, Family Inheritance: Advanced.  This tool will allow you to look at your Relative Finder matches in more detail and trace segments of DNA across multiple generations.

Raw data browsing and download will be available only for Y and mitochondrial SNPs for customers who purchase the 23andMe Ancestry Edition.

23andMe Health Edition – $429

With 23andMe, you can use your DNA to help you plan for the important things in life.  We give you access to information on genetic variations and mutations that may influence your risk for various conditions, report carrier status for inherited diseases, or affect how you react to certain medications.

With the launch of the 23andMe Health Edition we are releasing 13 new carrier status reports.   These reports will help you know more about what may be in store for the next generation.  We are expanding our cystic fibrosis panel report to cover the full panel of mutations recommended by the American College of Medical Genetics, as well as several additional mutations.  We will also be providing data for most of the mutations routinely screened for in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, including those associated with Tay-Sachs disease, Canavan disease and Bloom’s syndrome.

We are also continuing to expand our drug response offerings.  The next report to come out, Pseudocholinesterase Deficiency, contains information for anyone who will be undergoing surgery.

23andMe’s scientists are constantly sifting through the scientific literature, adding to existing articles and creating new reports as genetic research advances.  Customers who purchase the Health Edition will have access to these regular updates.

Raw data access will not be available to customers who purchase the 23andMe Health Edition.

23andMe Complete Edition – $499

If you’re interested in seeing all your DNA has to offer, you can purchase the 23andMe Complete Edition.  You’ll get all the features of both the Health and Ancestry Editions, along with the ability to browse and download all of your genetic information.  This means you’ll be able to see what your data means in the context of the latest in genetic research through our regular SNPwatch posts here in The Spittoon.

Start with Health or Ancestry, Upgrade Later

You can always buy one version, either the Health or Ancestry Edition, and upgrade to the Complete Edition at a later date.  You won’t even need to spit again!

Upgrading from the Health Edition will cost $100.  Upgrading from the Ancestry Edition will cost $150.

Buy Now Before the Price Goes Up!

If you are a current customer, your account will be converted to the Complete Edition automatically.  Customers who purchase 23andMe’s Personal Genome Service before November 19^th for the current price of $399 will also automatically have their accounts converted to the 23andMe Complete Edition after that date — a savings of $100.  If you purchase now, you can also save $25 on each kit you buy when you buy two or more at full price.

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I’m a bad patient.

Every time I go to a doctor she asks, “Do you have a family history of any diseases?”

I’m ashamed to say that my answer is always “I don’t think so.”

Your family health history is a powerful tool for your doctor; it can help him or her make vital screening and treatment decisions. Yet a recent survey (Porter Novelli Healthstyles 2004) found that although 96% of Americans recognize the importance of their family history, only 33% have ever tried to gather and organize this data for themselves.

23andMe helps people see what their DNA might have to say about a host of common and not-so common diseases and conditions; but we don’t want anyone to think that purchasing our Personal Genome Service™ is a substitute for a detailed family health history.

For example, the effect of the SNPs 23andMe reports on for breast cancer pales in comparison to that of mutations in the well-known BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which run in families and can increase a woman’s breast cancer risk three- to seven-fold (23andMe does not report data on these mutations). So even if your 23andMe data says that you have average or even below-average risk for breast cancer, a strong family history of the disease indicates the strong possibility of a genetic mutation that trumps the information we have gleaned from your SNPs.

In other cases, your family health history might dovetail with your 23andMe data, giving a fuller picture of, and perhaps increasing, your predicted risk for a certain disease. For example, a report published just last week in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute showed that a SNP recently associated with lung cancer (customers can see their data in Health and Traits) has a significantly larger effect in people where three or more first-degree relatives have been diagnosed than in people who develop a sporadic case of the disease.

The bottom line: It is very helpful to be aware of your family health history and share it with your medical provider. Here are a few resources to help you get you started:

• The U.S. Surgeon General’s Family History Initiative
  For the past four years the Surgeon General has designated Thanksgiving, a time when families naturally gather together, as National Family History Day. You can use the online tool “My Health Portrait” to help guide you in collecting your own family’s health history. (Also available in Chinese, Polish, Spanish, French and Portuguese from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital National Family Health Initiative Website.)

• The Genetic Alliance
  Links to sites that can help with collecting a family health history, including resources for family reunion organizers who want to incorporate this into their next gathering.

Mom, get ready for some questions.

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