Disclaimers and Notes for Consultations/ Gene Reports

For Consultations:

If there is anything you do not want me not check in your DNA data you must let me know in the comment field when scheduling your consultation or by email (katelinhubbardphd@gmail.com). The base reports (standard) do not check for Alzheimer's Disease (APOE), Cystic Fibrosis (CFTR), Sickel Cell Anemia (HBB), Beta-Thalassemia (HBB), Fragile X Syndrome (FMR1), BRCA1/BRCA2 (breast cancer risk), or Hemochromatosis (HFE). We can run those if you would like, just please carefully read the disclaimer below and let us know which ones you would like.

Ehlers Danlos Syndrome- EDS can be caused by many genes, many of which we have not yet discovered. Tests like 23andMe and AncestryDNA are not suitable for diagnosing EDS. This is because the gene mutations that usually cause EDS are rare and are not typically included in the list of gene sites that 23andMe and AncestryDNA read. If you would like more information on EDS genetics and getting an EDS report with Sequencing.com raw DNA data, please visit our blog. 

Shortcomings of AncestryDNA and 23andMe:

AncestryDNA and 23andMe only cover about 1% of the genome. Additionally, they typically only cover the part of the genome that naturally has a higher level of variation because they are looking for sites that are different so they can determine your genetic ancestry. These sites do not make fantasic sites for health genetic reads because anything that is extremely important to human health is typically less variable. However, post industrial society has increased the burden on many of these genes and some former non-critical variations have become important, especially in the pathways above (See this article). This means that we cannot tell you if your gene/protein is functional, we can only flag the SNPs we find in the raw DNA we are given that may make it less functional. We are more than happy (and excited!) to help you with your AncestryDNA and 23andMe data, but just please be aware we cannot help you with gene sites that they did not include in your raw data.

Also, direct to consumer tests such as 23andMe and AncestryDNA are not medical grade tests. The error rate on these tests is variable based on the SNP they are reading. We work with the most adanced data in order to completely remove the SNPs that are commonly read incorrectly, but there is a possibility that your raw DNA contains errors we cannot see and/or account for. Therefore, if a critical SNP is found in AncestryDNA and 23andMe data, we will reccomend you obtain a clinical agrade test to confirm that the SNP is an accurate read. Sequencing.com is a clinical grade test, although much more expensive (~$500), and is seen as highly reliable.