A journalist watches a website offering DNA testing on October 17, 2018 in Washington DC. - Using nothing more than a simple vial of saliva, millions of people have created DNA profiles on genealogy websites. But this wealth of information is effectively inaccessible to genetics researchers, with the sites painstakingly safeguarding their databases, fearful of a leak that could cost them dearly in terms of credibility. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP)
Millions of Americans have taken genetic tests to help them learn more about who they are or how sick they could become. In a crowded field of firms selling DNA tests – 10 new products enter the market each day by one estimate – many of the companies are racing to sort out their own identities.
Color Genomics chief executive officer Otham Laraki, a former product manager at Google, likens genetic testing today to the early days of smartphones. When location data came on the scene, he said, everyone thought check-in apps like Foursquare would be a hit. But the killer app turned out to be a completely different use of GPS data: Uber.
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