Latest news with #geneticdata
TechCrunch
6 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
23andMe customers notified of bankruptcy
23andMe has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S., which means your genetic data is for sale, and you only have until July 14 to file a claim. This filing will initiate the sale of all of 23andMe's assets — including customer data. So what does this mean for you? After filing for bankruptcy protection, the company's assets — including vast banks of DNA data — will be sold through a court-supervised sale. If you're a 23andme customer, your data will be sold to the highest bidder.
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
23andMe bankruptcy prompts Cornyn-Grassley-Klobuchar bipartisan bill to protect sensitive genetic data
FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators John Cornyn and Chuck Grassley and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar are rolling out a bipartisan measure to protect sensitive genetic data in response to privacy concerns sparked by 23andMe's bankruptcy, Fox News Digital has learned. Cornyn, R-Texas; Grassley, R-Iowa; and Klobuchar, D-Minn., are introducing the Don't Sell My DNA Act, which would safeguard customers' sensitive genetic information when an entity that maintains data files for bankruptcy. The bill would add genetic information to the definition of "personally identifiable information" in the bankruptcy code. Under current law, the bankruptcy code provides protections for personally identifiable information in bankruptcy court proceedings to prevent the possibility of identity theft, harm or other unlawful injury. Senate aides told Fox News Digital the current definition of personally identifiable information includes an individual's name, address, email, phone number, Social Security number, credit card numbers and other information that could be used for identification purposes. Those aides said the definition is "outdated" and does not include a reference to genetic information, leaving the information vulnerable. "This legislation would solve this problem by updating the definition of 'personally identifiable information' in the bankruptcy code to include genetic information," a Senate aide said. The bill also addresses consumer privacy concerns by having consumers affirmatively consent to the sale or lease of their genetic information after a bankruptcy case commences and requiring companies to provide prior written notice of the use, sale or lease of their genetic information during bankruptcy. The bill also requires the trustee or debtor in possession to delete any genetic information not subject to a sale or lease. "Advances in DNA testing have allowed Americans to have unprecedented access to important insights about their genetics, but these companies must have a plan to protect this data in the event of bankruptcy," Cornyn told Fox News Digital. "By updating the bankruptcy code, this legislation would safeguard Americans' sensitive genetic information to ensure it cannot be weaponized against them or made public without their knowledge and consent." And Klobuchar said companies "have profited off of Americans' data while consumers have been left in the dark, which is especially concerning in light of reports that 23andMe plans to sell customer genetic data assets to a large pharmaceutical company." "This bill will put new protections in place to safeguard Americans' privacy while giving consumers greater control over how their sensitive health data is shared," Klobuchar said. Grassley told Fox News Digital consumers should "feel confident that any personal information shared with a public company isn't up for grabs when that company files for bankruptcy." Grassley told Fox News Digital the bill "would fill gaps in current law to help safeguard consumers' genetic information and ensure Americans' DNA isn't treated like any other financial asset." On Monday, 23andMe announced Regeneron Pharmaceuticals would purchase 23andMe through a bankruptcy auction. Senate aides said Regeneron promises to "protect consumer information, but the data privacy concerns for future bankruptcies remain." The genetic testing company 23andMe, once a pioneer in consumer DNA testing, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March amid financial struggles, a leadership shakeup and growing concerns about the security of its customers' genetic data. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced it will acquire "substantially all" of genetic testing company 23andMe's assets. The pharmaceutical company said it won the court-supervised auction of the genetic testing company, with Regeneron agreeing to pay $256 million for the assets. The auction for 23andMe was part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection it filed in March to arrange a sale of its business. In its bankruptcy petition, the company estimated a range of $100 million to $500 million for its assets. Estimated liabilities were the same. The pharmaceutical company is buying 23andMe's personal genome service and its health and research services segments, according to 23andMe.
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Health
- New York Times
A Genetic Clue to Why Men Are Taller Than Women
Men are taller than women, by an average of about five inches. But why? It's not a genetic inevitability — there are many species in the tree of life where females outclass males. A new study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that involved genetic data from a million people, has found a partial explanation. It involves a gene called SHOX, which is known to be associated with height. SHOX is present on both the X chromosome — females have two X chromosomes — and the Y chromosome; males have one X and one Y. The researchers suspected that SHOX might explain differences in male and female height, but there was a problem with that hypothesis. Since SHOX is on both the X and Y chromosomes, it would need to have a different effect on each chromosome. Does it, the researchers asked? To investigate the hypothesis, they asked if an extra Y chromosome boosted a person's height more than an extra X chromosome. There are rare conditions in which people are born with an extra X or an extra Y, or have a missing X or Y. To find people with these conditions, researchers plumbed data from three biobanks, or repositories of deidentified genetic and medical data from individuals. One biobank was from Britain, and the other two were from the United States. With nearly a million individuals' data in the biobanks, the group was able to find 1,225 people with either missing or extra X or Y chromosomes. Some of these conditions, like in people with one X and no Y, were known to be associated with health issues — as well as, in this case, short stature. And, they found, an extra Y did provide more height than an extra X. Their hypothesis was borne out. The biochemistry of the SHOX gene may be the reason. Matthew Oetjens, a genetics researcher at Geisinger College of Health Sciences in Danville, Pa., and senior author of the study, explained: The placement of the SHOX gene, he said, is near the end of the sex chromosomes. In females, most genes on one of the two Xs are silenced, or inactive. But one region where the genes remain active is at the very tip of the X. The SHOX gene is close enough to the tip that it is not quite silenced. In men, the X, with its SHOX, is fully active. So is the Y. This means that a woman, with her two X chromosomes, will have a slightly lower dose of the SHOX gene than a man, with an X and a Y. As a result, males get a slightly bigger SHOX gene effect. That, the researchers calculated, accounts for nearly a quarter of the average difference in height between men and women. Dr. Oetjens said that other features of male sex hormones account for most of the rest of the difference, and other genetic factors are thought to play a role. The work is 'definitely cool,' said Eric Schadt, a professor in the department of genetics and genomic science at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. 'It is a great use of these biobanks to uncover what is still somewhat of a mystery,' he said. 'Even though the effect is modest, it does explain 20 percent or so of the height difference.'
Fast Company
19-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
23andMe, including sensitive genetic data, sold to biotech company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Genetic data was on the auction block, and a U.S. biotech company ponied up the cash. New York-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced on Monday that it has purchased DNA testing company 23andMe through a bankruptcy auction for a total of $256 million. The deal includes most of the company's assets, including, notably, user and customer data. Regeneron's announcement emphasizes that the company will comply with existing privacy laws and 23andMe's policies, which were conditions of the sale. Privacy experts have said that any such sale presents special challenges given the sensitive nature of the genetic data that 23andMe collects. 'The agreement includes Regeneron's commitment to comply with the Company's privacy policies and applicable law, process all customer personal data in accordance with the consents, privacy policies and statements, terms of service, and notices currently in effect and have security controls in place designed to protect such data,' the announcement reads. Regeneron says that 23andMe required any bidders to 'guarantee' that they would comply with its existing privacy policies. A third-party consumer privacy ombudsman, or CPO, will be appointed by the court to examine the transaction, which is still subject to court approval. Such court-appointed ombudsman are often required in bankruptcy cases where sensitive data is involved, although 23andMe had initially tried to argue that one wasn't necessary. Company leadership also doubled-down on the promises to protect the integrity of 23andMe's customers' data. 'We are pleased to have reached a transaction that maximizes the value of the business and enables the mission of 23andMe to live on, while maintaining critical protections around customer privacy, choice and consent with respect to their genetic data,' said Mark Jensen, chair and member of the special committee of the board of directors of 23andMe, per the statement. A stellar rise and steep fall Founded in 2006, 23andMe gained popularity for its DNA testing kits, which were used to collect saliva samples and provide customers with a readout of their genetic ancestry and history. At one time, it had 15 million customers, but a data breach in 2023 hammered demand after 7 million customer records were accessed, and 23andMe never recovered. The company went public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company in 2021, the height of the so-called SPAC craze. It briefly hit a valuation of $6 billion, but profits were elusive. By the middle of 2024, it was trading in penny-stock territory. Following the breach and the company's subsequent Chapter 11 filing in March of this year, some policymakers —such as California Attorney General Rob Bonta—recommended that users delete their information, which could be done through a user's profile on the 23andMe website. As for what's next, the deal should close sometime later this year, and 23andMe is expected to continue to operate as a unit of Regeneron. Shares of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (Nasda: REGN) were down about 1.1% in late-morning trading.
