We have just made some updates to the deCODEme ancestry service. Now you have more power and flexibility when you compare your genome with that of friends or individuals from different populations around the world.

Your genome can be viewed as a mosaic or tapestry made up of fragments of chromosomes from your ancestors. Fragments of chromosomes inherited from very recent ancestors, say grandparents, are expected to be large – typically tens of millions of nucleotides in size. As ancestors become more ancient, then the size of the chromosome fragments inherited from them become smaller – down to a few thousand or hundred nucleotides for ancestors born thousands of years ago.

Our new and improved genome comparison tool enables to you compare your genome with another individual in order to determine which chromosome fragments you share and to see how much of your genome is shared. The fascinating thing about this analysis is that each shared fragment represents a common ancestor. The number of shared fragments and their size reflects the number of common ancestors and how far back in time they are found. In other words, you can see how closely you are related.

When genomes are compared, your chromosomes are broken down into fragments of a particular size and sharing is evaluated for each fragment. Before the fragment size was fixed at 1 million nucleotides. Now you can change the size of fragments that are compared, from a minimum of 250 thousand nucleotides (250Kb) to a maximum of 20 million nucleotides (20Mb). The minimum fragment size will reveal shared chromosome fragments from common ancestors going back thousands of years. The maximum fragment size will reveal only shared chromosome fragments from very recent common ancestors – i.e. going back only a few generations. Setting the fragment size thus lets you select how far back in time you want to hunt for common ancestors.

This image shows results of a comparison between an Icelander and an Orkney Islander using a fragment size of 3Mb. The brown lines are shared fragments, inherited from common ancestors from more than 1000 years ago!

Scientists at deCODE genetics Genetic Service Facility lab in Iceland

The number of companies offering genetic tests to the public is large and growing. But there are vast and very real differences in the quality, purpose and price of testing services out there. So how do you tell the difference between them? And how do you decide which to use?

Knowing what you want

First and foremost, you need to think about what sort of information you hope to gain from your genome and how accurate you want the results to be. Are you taking the test only for fun, perhaps hoping to talk about your results on Facebook? Or are you interested in using it to protect or improve your health, perhaps working with a doctor? And do you want your information to be kept strictly private so that you are in full control of those with whom you share it, or are you comfortable with others being able to access it and use it?

At deCODE, we have studied the genomes of hundreds of thousands of people over the past twelve years. Our goal has been to discover what variations in the human genome give some people higher or lower than average likelihood of developing many of the most common diseases in our society. We use that information to develop products like genetic tests that can help people to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible. From day one that’s been our bread and butter – it’s not an idea that occurred to us last week or even last year.

And with that experience, and having worked with so many people, there are a few basic things that we think you should look for in any genetic testing service. These are fundamental characteristics that we demand of ourselves in all of our discovery work, and we think you should settle for nothing less.

Buyer’s checklist

In any field, in order to offer services to the public you have to be able to stand behind the quality of your product. In genetic testing, the basis of any test worth paying for is good science: large-scale studies that establish and then replicate in independent groups links between specific markers in the genome and specific traits, such as diseases. Making those links requires gathering large sets of very high quality, consistent data. It requires teams of doctors, geneticists and other scientists, as well as certified DNA analysis laboratories, statistical tools and computing power and software to accurately analyze the datasets. If you can do all this under the strictest data and privacy protection protocols in the world, you will reward the participation of your research subjects with peace of mind they deserve.

That’s just for starters. In order to offer a test, you need to be give your customers the same certified quality of DNA analysis, as well as the ability to accurately interpret what the findings of large studies mean for disease risk. In short, you need all the same capabilities and expertise as for research, but focused on accurately and securely delivering results to individuals.

The gold standard

These are the standards that lie behind deCODEme and all our diagnostic tests. We offer the best science, usually our own, as our scientists lead the world in finding genetic risk factors for common diseases. Where we do use discoveries made by others, our scientists have validated the findings according to our own rigorous criteria. We have our own CLIA-certified DNA analysis laboratory, one of the largest of its kind in the world, and do our own quality control. We share your results with no one but those you specifically request. We offer our customers the ability to check whether they carry validated risk factors for dozens of diseases, and update their profiles rapidly and regularly as new discoveries are made. This isn’t trivial stuff, and our prices reflect the quality of the products we offer.

Don’t just take our word for it: the value of deCODE tests is reflected most clearly in the stories of customers like you. On this blog you can read about what they have to say about how they are using their results to better look after their own health.

Your genome, your choice

This is a high bar, and one that few others will pass. Can you find cheaper services out there? Yes. Are there dot-com storefronts that outsource the science and the analysis of your genome? Yes. That are focused less on quality and more on website bells-and-whistles for using your genome for social networking? Yes again.

But your genome is yours, and we think you have a right to choose the best for yourself if that’s what you want. At deCODE we are not offering cut-rate services, outsourcing the analysis of your genome, or cutting corners on privacy protection. We give you a portal into the best and latest in genetics, offering the highest quality services available for those who want to know how the latest breakthroughs in human genetics can be used to improve their health and healthcare. If that’s you, we encourage you to check how other services stack up to deCODE – and we look forward to hearing from you!