New biotech DNA company
Hi Everyone,
This is my first post to the community.
My wife and I started a biotech company in 2014 that uses genetic and
psychological testing for the dating industry. We have expertise in genetics
and neuroscience and a passion for making DNA testing accessible to everyone.
We've recently launched a new product called Gemetrics which will allow you to
explore three neurogenetic variants that have been strongly linked to
behavioral traits (for under $50).
My longer term goal is to develop an inexpensive a la carte platform
that will allow you to anonymously test and compare your genetic traits to
everyone else on the database and discover what makes you unique. When that
platform is ready, you'll be able to find your genetic uniqueness and then
exploit it as much as possible.
I'm coming to you to explore which other ideas or tests you want to see
created? We've got the lab and the people to do it!
Would love to hear from you...
Comments
Hi Chironex,
Thanks for your questions. We test for three genes which affect
dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. Specifically they are well researched
transporters and receptors called DRD4, OXTR and the 5-HTTLPR region of
SLC6A4. Different variants of these genes alter our brain’s sensitivity
to dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin which in turn affects our personality.
We test everyone for all three genes and the combination of their
results is how we categorize them into one of eight possible genetic
personalities. The categories are based on how each variant affects our
personality and how closely it relates to eight different classic brand
archetypes. So, for example, the warrior carries the short version of
5HTTLPR, the 7R+ version of DRD4 and the A version of OXTR. These gene
variants push a person to be more passionate, risk taking and have lowered
empathy. The warrior archetype is tough and courageous, achieving their
goals despite obstacles and in difficult times they continue to persist and
achieve their goals. This would require someone to be more passionate, be
willing to take risks and sometimes have reduced empathy if someone stood in
their way. That is just an example for warrior. The inventor and
the other groups are different combinations of these three genes with their own
reasoning.
Accompanying the test is a report which outlines your genetic results
and what they mean for your personality. It also provides the reasoning
behind which personality type you receive.
In the future, I plan to replace the brand archetypes with actual client
data. For example, you'll be able to see how your combination of genetic
variants correlate to others in the database who have shared information on
jobs, hobbies and interests. I’ll switch
it over after I have about 1000 clients at which point the data becomes more
useful.
By the way, all the testing is done in our lab using PCR - imaged by gel
electrophoresis. I can provide an accumulated list of references for how
these genes affect personality, I just need a bit of time to pull it all
together.
Thanks for your interest!
You're right. PCR can be very inaccurate which is why we've spent
a lot of time optimizing our protocols. We actually amplify the region of
interest and then we cleave them with restriction enzymes that signal the
presence or absence of a particular genetic variant. If we are ever in
doubt of a result we run it again. It's usually very clear as you can see in the images below:
Thank you for your honest feedback. I appreciate that you're more interested in medical genetic tests. There are many regulatory challenges for creating diagnostic tests which mean much higher prices for the consumer. I wouldn't expect those prices to go down quickly. Raw data can be shared but many people would have difficulty interpreting it.
I've created something really affordable today that gives everyone access to their gemomic info. We're starting with behavioral genes for $10-15 each and the list will grow over time. Hopefully one day we can do more medical genetic tests affordably.