Genomic Analysis of East Asian Male by using 23andMe
I noticed 23andMe shortly after they first launched their gene testing business four years ago, and since then I have been interested in using their product to test my genome. However, if the product is ordered from Japan, several exciting test categories such as “Carrier status” and “Genetic health risk” are not accessible. Therefore, when I knew I would come to the US, I planned to try out 23andMe during my stay. In this post, I review my (pre- and post-) 23andMe gene testing experience.
I initially became interested in 23andMe for two reasons. First, I wanted to know more about my body and potential genome-related health risks. Moreover, I anticipated that I could utilize this test to change my lifestyle in order to reduce those potential risks. Second, I was particularly interested in the recent enormous developments in the field of genetics. For example, I had come to realize that gene editing techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9* will likely soon start influencing our society in an irreversible way. By using 23andMe, I expected to smell the “scent” of the future governed by emerging technologies in genetics. Thus, I thought it was necessary for me to buy 23andMe in the US instead of Japan.
*CRISPR/Cas9 & Targeted Genome Editing: New Era in Molecular Biology | NEB
However, I also concerned about the ethical and scientific problems that this technique could stir up inside me. In particular, I was afraid that discovering genetic information that one typically goes through life not knowing might affect my critical decision-making in the future. Therefore, even after my “saliva sampling kit” was delivered, I needed some time to carefully think about the potential personal discomfort that this product could cause before using it. I made several personal rules, such as how I should act in the case that any genetic defects were found, or if my ethnicity was found to be different to what I had expected.
When I first read through the initial reports I received, the first thing that came to mind was to “cherish myself”. In particular, the “Ancestry” and “Traits” reports were impressive and I felt a sense of pride while reading them. For example, I could see the route that my great, great, …, great-grandmother took to reach east Asia and how my blood was mixed with other races in that region. It was surprising to discover that simply a small portion of saliva could correctly and precisely predict my traits such as cheek dimples, earlobe type, and caffeine consumption. Furthermore, the report also revealed traits that I had never noticed, such as whether or not I can smell the odor of Asparagus. (In fact, I did not even know that this was decided by our genes.)
Importantly, the report scientifically explains in detail which part of my DNA causes the specific traits and provides seemingly reliable information about the scientific methods that were used, including the statistical models used to calculate the probability of certain traits, with references.
Unfortunately, the reports of “Carrier status” and “Genetic health risk” – the categories that I was the most interested in – were not so surprising. Lack of sufficient reference datasets for non-Caucasians is a potential cause of unreliability of the results. I am curious how 23andMe is going to solve this problem since their “signature” test categories are restricted in countries in which non-Caucasians are the majority.
In summary, trying out 23andMe was an interesting experience and provided me new knowledge about myself. Although there is still room for improvement in terms of the accuracy of 23andMe regarding minority ethnicity groups in the West, I believe this product can give us new insight into who (or what) we are. In conclusion, I feel like I have rediscovered myself and had my first “scent” of the future.
