23andme
JXStern
networking!?!?!?
J.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/01/25/bcn23andme.xml
Google wife targets world DNA domination
By Felix Lowe
Last Updated: 12:37am GMT 26/01/2008
Her husband is one of the world's richest men who has built up an
internet empire that delivers and classifies digital information at
the click of a mouse.
Now Anne Wojcicki is planning to tap into the rise of online global
networking to help people make sense of their own genetic information.
And if her business expectations are anything to go by, she shares
much of the ambition and drive of her husband, the billionaire
co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin.
Co-founder of biotech company 23andme, Wojcicki has been at the World
Economic Forum in Davos this week to drum up interest in the European
launch of the web-based DNA service.
"We'd like to reach 98pc of the world, that is our goal," says
Wojcicki from beside her fledgling company's booth on the first floor
of the Belvedere Hotel. "You have to have high standards to get
anywhere in life, and if genealogy continues at its current rate, what
we're offering will soon become a standard part of people's lives."
Named after the number of chromosomes that make up each person's
genome, 23andme operates by analysing saliva samples to build up a
picture of their client's inherited traits, ancestry and, in time,
personal disease risks. Customers send in their saliva - along with a
hefty cheque for $999 - and four to six weeks later receive their
results online.
They have a personal profile set up outlining anything from their
athletic ability to their food preferences and sleep habits. If they
chose to do so, customers can then exchange their information with
family and friends to build up a better understanding of both
themselves and their ancestry.
It may seem far-fetched, but Wojcicki, 33, and her 47-year-old
business partner Linda Avey reckon their service represents the future
of social networking.
...