Nov 19 2007
Searchable DNA
Two startups in Silicon Valley are launching a service that will sequence your DNA and report back on the probability you face of contracting certain diseases. VentureBeat has a good summary story of the services.
Such services could turn the insurance industry on its head. Although each profile might be private for each user, meta data might be sold to insurance companies looking for a better profile. The meta data might suggest, for example, that men between 40 and 45 who grew up in a specific town have a higher risk of certain types of cancer. That would allow an insurance company to adjust its premiums for anyone who fit those criteria.
The other side of the meta-data coin is the chance to remedy public health problems before they hurt people. But that still seems a ways off.
For more on each company, check out 23andMe and Navagenics.
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