DNA Companies

DNAPrint Genomics Ceases Operations

Blaine Bettinger 16 Comments

dnaprintgIn February, I received a number of comments and emails which suggested that DNAPrint Genomics was not processing results and could not be reached by telephone.  DNAPrint was one of the first companies to offer ‘large-scale’ autosomal testing, although their tests were unable to compete with the testing currently offered by companies like 23andMe and deCODEme.

Indeed, the company has recently ceased operations.  From the site: “DNAPrint® Genomics, Inc. has regrettably ceased operations. We thank you for your support.”  As I wrote last February, the company was scheduled to be purchased by Nanobac Pharmaceuticals, but the deal fell through shortly thereafter.

GenomeWeb Announces DNAPrint’s Demise

From an announcement today at GenomeWeb – “DNAPrint Genomics Goes Bust”: ... Click to read more!

Family Tree DNA Reaches 500,000 DNA Testing Kits

Blaine Bettinger 6 Comments

image In November 2007 I estimated that as of that date 600,000 to 700,000 DNA testing kits had been sold by genetic genealogy companies and that the number was increasing by 80,000 to 100,000 kits per year  (see “How Big is the Genetic Genealogy Market?”).  I ended that article with a prediction:  “As the interest in genetic genealogy grows, I predict that the 1 millionth genetic genealogy customer will push the ‘buy’ button as early as 2009.”

It seems my prediction might not have been too far off.  This week, Family Tree DNA issued a press release stating that the company had recently received an order for the 500,000th testing kit.

FTDNA’s Press Release:

HOUSTON, February 9, 2009 (For Immediate Release) – Family Tree DNA (http://www.familytreedna.com), the world leader in genetic genealogy, announced today that it received its 500,000th DNA test order for genealogy and anthropology purposes. ... Click to read more!

23andMe and mondoBIOTECH Announce Partnership

Blaine Bettinger 17 Comments

imageimage

23andMe and mondoBIOTECH announced at Davos (the World Economic Forum in Switzerland) today that they will work together to further the study of rare diseases.  According to the press release (below), mondoBIOTECH will identify individuals suffering from certain rare diseases and sponsor their enrollment in the 23andMe Personal Genome Service™.  Researchers will use the information collected to learn more about the potential causes of these rare diseases.

CNBC Video:

Linda Avey appeared on CNBC this morning to discuss the company and the partnership – see “It’s All in the Genes.”

The Press Release:

Davos, Switzerland – January 28th 2009 – 23andMe, Inc., an industry leader in personal genetics, and Mondobiotech AG, a Swiss research company dedicated to the development of treatments for rare diseases, today announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that they are collaborating to advance research of rare diseases. ... Click to read more!

Colleen Fitzpatrick’s New Website

Blaine Bettinger 7 Comments

Last September, I interviewed Colleen Fitzpatrick here at TGG.  Colleen has been very busy since then!  She has launched a new website called Identifinders, which offers a number of forensic genealogy services.

Additionally, Colleen was featured in “Does Publishing Need Genealogists?” by Publisher’s Weekly for her work in researching the circumstances surrounding two recent publishing cases: Misha Defonseca’s Misha: A Memoire of the Holocaust and Herman Rosenblat’s Angel at the Fence. From the article:

Their research uncovered baptismal and school records proving that Defonseca didn’t escape the Holocaust by running with wolves. She didn’t need to; her father was a Nazi collaborator. And if Defonseca had denied the evidence, Fitzpatrick and Sergeant were prepared to use DNA, which, along with photographs and archival records, are a forensic genealogist’s stock in trade. “I almost feel disappointed that Misha confessed,” wrote Fitzpatrick on her IdentiFinders.com Web site. “I was looking forward to identifying her through DNA.” ... Click to read more!

The Genealogy Market 2009

Blaine Bettinger 6 Comments

GenealogyMarket I’ve long been interested in the success and long-term outlook of the genealogy market.  Although altruistic genealogists have done immense amounts of work to transcribe and put records online, one of the strongest forces behind the digitization of genealogical records has been private profit-driven organizations.  And these organizations, of course, rely on the viability of the market.

FTM Media Kit

Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings recently linked to Family Tree Magazine’s 46 page 2009 Media Kit, which contains extensive information about the genealogy market and the Family Tree Magazine audience.  The report is filled with statistics about all facets of genealogy and genealogists, and the author(s) include links to all their primary information. ... Click to read more!

Stephen Pinker, The New York Times, and Counsyl

Blaine Bettinger

imageAlthough I can hardly hope to introduce or discuss these recent events any better than Daniel MacArthur has already given at Genetic Future, I will at least bring this new information to your attention.

Last Wednesday the New York Times printed “My Genome, My Self”, an article written by Stephen Pinker, one of the Personal Genome Project’s “First 10.”  In the article, Pinker talks about his experience with genome sequencing through the PGP.  It is especially interesting since Pinker analyzes the issue from the point of view of a psychologist.  I highly recommend reading this article if you are at all interested in personalized medicine or genetics.

Much of the article discusses the confusing results that are returned by genome/disease analysis, due to our current lack of understanding in this enormous field: ... Click to read more!

Genetic Genealogy Links for December 12 2008

Blaine Bettinger 7 Comments
Positions of the different countries and terri...

Image via Wikipedia

I’m currently in the middle of third-year law school exams, so I thought I’d do a round-up of all the interesting stories I’ve seen over the past week or two.

Holiday Specials on DNA Testing

First, it appears that most of the major genetic genealogy companies are offering special deals for the holidays:

Family Tree DNA announces a holiday sale – FTDNA is offering reducing pricing for customers who are part of or join a DNA project.  For example, a 37-marker Y-DNA test is reduced to $119, down from $149.

Ancestry.com announces holiday sale – buy a DNA test between now and December 31st, and you’ll receive 40% off.  For example, a 33-marker Y-DNA test is $89.40 (usually $149) and their mtDNA test is $107.40 (usually $179). ... Click to read more!

Familybuilder Announces DNA Testing

Blaine Bettinger 18 Comments

imageSimilar to a move made by myHeritage a few weeks ago, Familybuilder has announced that it will offer genetic genealogy testing to its customers.  As part of the launch of this new product, Familybuilder is offering both Y-DNA and mtDNA tests for only $59.95 until January 1.  After that, the price will be $89.95

Based on the demo account, it looks like the Y-DNA test includes 17 markers.  Although this isn’t many markers, $3.52 per marker is a great price.

Familybuilder is planning to continue to develop their genetic genealogy offering: “Currently in development is the ability to create Groups around surnames, families, and other criteria as well as the ability to Compare DNA.”  From the press release:

“Up to now, genealogical DNA testing for the masses has been cost-prohibitive,” said David Rheins, CMO of Familybuilder.  “We are excited about the launch of Familybuilder DNA, and believe that this tool will help millions of consumers better understand the origins of their heritage and ancestry. We are very focused on developing the Familybuilder DNA product line, and have plans to roll out additional tests and future functionality, including the ability to search our DNA database to identify living relatives with whom you share DNA.” ... Click to read more!

Family Tree DNA Facts & Genes Newsletter

Blaine Bettinger 1 Comment
present for myself

Image by Valerie Reneé via Flickr

Family Tree DNA has a new issue of Facts & Genes available on their website.  If you didn’t receive this newsletter but would like to receive it in the future, you can register here.

I especially like the “Case Study in Genetic Genealogy”, which is reprinted in full below.  I, like others, sometimes jump too quickly to the conclusion that there has been a non-paternal event in a line.

Case Study in Genetic Genealogy

When I [“I” being a hypothetic someone who has tested through a genetic genealogy company] first tested, I had no matches with my surname, and a match with another surname. I was told that there was an event in the past, breaking the link of the Y chromosome and the surname – an illegitimacy. ... Click to read more!

Family Tree DNA and MyHeritage Partner to Combine DNA With Family Trees

Blaine Bettinger 2 Comments
image

As the Guardian reported today in “Genealogy website MyHeritage offers low-cost DNA tests“, Family Tree DNA and MyHeritage have formed a partnership to combine DNA testing with online family trees.  From the press release:

“With close to 220,000 records, FamilyTreeDNA is the largest database of genealogic DNA information in the world. This provides the perfect complement to MyHeritage’s current research tools, giving our members another way to learn about where they come from,” said Gilad Japhet, founder and CEO of MyHeritage. “We help people around the world discover, connect and communicate with their extended family network and easily research their family history. Now, by working with FamilyTreeDNA, we can offer a solution when the paper trail runs out.” ... Click to read more!