Google-funded site offers $999 DNA test - find your DNA

One saliva sample will help tell all....the site does not offer any medical guidelines at all, just DNA findings that you could use for yourself or perhaps discuss with your physician...BD

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Google Inc-funded 23andMe launched on Monday and began offering a DNA saliva test for $999 per person, which would help U.S. users of the online site learn about disease risk, inherited traits and their ancestry.

Eventually users, who sign up for the saliva test online and receive it by mail, will also be able to participate in research.

Joining 23andMe is easy - once you've placed your order and signed our online consent form, all you do is spit in a plastic tube included with the kit we ship to you. Each kit is labeled with the name of the person it is designated for along with a claim code. Just use the kit's pre-paid, pre-addressed shipping envelope to send your sample to our contracted laboratory. Our service is currently available in the United States.

After receiving your sample, lab professionals extract DNA from cells in your saliva. Your DNA is then chopped up into shorter strands and copied many times via a process called amplification. Next, your DNA is washed over a small microchip-like device that contains short strands of synthetic DNA. The synthetic DNA fragments latch onto the pieces of your DNA that are a complementary match. Then a laser-scanning step reveals which strands of synthetic DNA are stuck to your DNA to determine your genotype.

What we do not and will not do is provide medical advice to our customers. Though our service delivers personalized data, the information it provides is tailored to genotypes, not to individuals. Initially, we will have no knowledge of our customers' vital signs, disease histories, family histories, environment, or any other medically relevant information. Thus we have no way of evaluating our customers' health or medical needs, and we make every effort to clarify this for our customers.