23andMe’s future raises more concerns as genomic data analysis improves

Customers of genetic data group 23andMe may be at greater risk than they realize, suggests a New York Times article that claims the company’s woes may be short-lived compared to the long-term threats facing its roughly 15 million people if 23andMe can’t continue. as a functioning enterprise.

To be sure, founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki’s hopes of turning around 23andMe seem increasingly unattainable. Following a major breach and the mass resignation of its independent directors, the company, once valued at $6 billion, is now valued at $150 million. It is about to be removed next month. Media stories don’t help. (Would you buy one of his DNA kits?)

The company says it remains committed to “following the laws that govern the data we collect,” but if at some point soon it can’t, that’s concerning, a Yale biomedical professor tells The Times. He notes that hacked credit cards can be replaced, while a genome cannot. Meanwhile, he adds, the technology that analyzes genomes is advancing. Chances are it will get even more revealing.