The Genetic Genealogist

Direct-to-consumer DNA testing has led to the re-joining of yet another family.

Y-DNA and autosomal testing by Family Tree DNA has revealed that two NFL players , Xavier Omon (San Francisco 49ers)) and Ogemdi Nwagbuo (San Diego Chargers), are half-brothers.  ESPN has a long write-up of the story at “A brothers’ tale for Omon, Nwagbuo.”

Meeting for the First Time

The brothers had planned to meet face-to-face yesterday, September 1, 2011, as their teams met on the field.  Turns out Omon’s team, the 49ers, were victorious, meaning that if he’s anything like my brothers, he gave Nwagbuo a hard time about it!  The Mercury News has a story about the brothers’ first meeting at “Omon meets half-brother (a Charger) for first time,” and the SF Gate has a story at “49ers’ Xavier Omon meets half-brother.”

Family Tree DNA’s Press Release:

Houston, TX – August 31,2011 – Family Tree DNA, the pioneer and largest DNA testing company for genealogy purposes, through its Family Finder test, provided the conclusive proof that two NFL players are half-siblings.

Until a few months ago, Xavier Omon, from the San Francisco 49ers and Ogemdi Nwagbuo from the San Diego Chargers did not have a clue that they were related. Early August, at the request of ESPN, Family Tree DNA performed the Family Finder test on both, and the result was unequivocal: definitely half-siblings. More of the story can be found at the ESPN website,under the “Brother’s Tale” story.

The Family Finder test allows connecting with family members across all ancestral lines. While the Y-DNA matches men with a specific paternal line and the mtDNA finds potential relatives only along the maternal line, Family Finder can look for close relationships along all ancestral lines. Anyone, regardless of their gender, may confidently match to male and female cousins from any of their family lines in the past five generations. The science is based on linked blocks of DNA across the 22 autosomal chromosomes that are matched between two people. Based on this concept, Family Tree DNA bioinformatics team has worked extensively to develop the calculations that would yield the closeness of the relationship. The possibilities to find matches abound: grandparents, aunts and uncles; half siblings; first, second, third and fourth cousins; and, more tentatively, fifth cousins.

About Family Tree DNA

Founded in April 2000, Family Tree DNA was the first company to develop the commercial application of DNA testing for genealogical purposes, something that had previously been available only for academic and scientific research. Almost a decade later, the Houston-based company has a database with over 345,000 individual records – the largest DNA database in genetic genealogy, and a number that makes Family Tree DNA the prime source for anyone researching recent and distant family ties. In 2006 Family Tree DNA established a state of the art Genomics Research Center at its headquarters in Houston, Texas, where it currently performs R&D and processes over 200 advanced types of DNA tests for its customers.

Media contact

Sharon Weisz, —tel: 323-934-2700; e-mail: Sharon@familytreedna.com

As you may have heard, I recently made my 23andMe and Family Tree DNA autosomal testing results available for download online at “mygenotype,” and dedicated the information to the public domain (if dedicating DNA sequence to the public domain is even possible – I’m currently doing some research in this area and expect to write more in the future).

At “mygenotype” you can download the following:

My Family Tree DNA Results:

1. Affymetrix Autosomal DNA Results (2010)
2. Affymetrix X-Chromosome DNA Results (2010)
3. Illumina Autosomal DNA Results (2011)
4. Illumina X-Chromosome DNA Results (2011)

My 23andMe Results:

1. V2 Results (2008)
2. V3 Results (2010)
3. Y-DNA Results (2010)
4. mtDNA Results (2010)

You can also find my SNPedia Promethease reports:

• Promethease Report using an early version of Affymetrix Family Finder DNA Results

• Promethease Report using V2 23andMe DNA Results

• Promethease Report using pooled 23andMe and Family Finder DNA Results

In addition to my genome, Razib Khan of Gene Expression has a spreadsheet of approximately 48 other genomes that are available for download online.

A Challenge To YOU

Now that the information is out there, available to anyone who might be interested, it remains to be seen who might be interested in the information.

Indeed, as evidenced by Razib’s spreadsheet, while dedicating a genome to the public domain has only been done by a small handful of people worldwide, it isn’t as novel as it was just a few months ago.

So, I’m challenging everyone who reads this to download my data and analyze it to find the most interesting or surprising results.  For example, you could use my most recent 23andMe V3 data.

I’ve already done a fair amount of analysis myself, including the Promethease reports above (and see here), and a recent blog post about my vastly increased Type 2 Diabetes risk.  However, perhaps there’s a recent but relatively study that applies, or perhaps there’s a story you can weave with a handful of SNPs. Or, even better, what can you tell me about my ancestry other than mtDNA and Y-DNA haplogroups? Don’t worry about the strength of the study, reproducibility, etc. – I’m aware of the uncertainties associated with this type of research, and my goal here is to make people aware of possibilities.

Please post your findings in the comments below, and in two weeks I’ll pick the most surprising or interesting findings and make them the focus of a new blog post.

Can you surprise me with my own genome?

An independent group of scientists has recommended that the Department of Defense (“DoD”) obtain and sequence the genomes of members of the military.

JASON, a group of between 30 and 60 scientists and created in 1960 which advises the U.S. government on scientific and technological issues, authored the report entitled “The $100 Genome: Implications for the DoD,” (pdf) which was released on January 13, 2011.

In the report, the scientists provided the following recommendation:

“The DoD should establish policies that result in the collection of genotype and phenotype data, the application of bioinformatics tools to support the health and effectiveness of military personnel, and the resolution of ethical and social issues that arise from these activities. The DoD and the VA should affiliate with or stand up a genotype/phenotype analysis program that addresses their respective needs. Waiting even two years to initiate this process may place them unrecoverably behind in the race for personal genomics information and applications.”

It’s good to see acknowledgment in the report of potential ethical issues, but there was no substantive discussion of them.  Deciding to collect DNA and sequence genomes of troops is, quite frankly, a no-brainer, and the report came to all the obvious conclusions.  What the military really requires is a report on how to discover, analyze, and address the myriad ethical issues associated with the obvious decision to sequence genomes.

A news article published yesterday in nextgov (“Report urges Defense to collect genome data on all troops“) discusses a few of the potential ethical issues, and includes a few quotes from me:

“According to Blaine Bettinger, a Syracuse, N.Y.-based intellectual property lawyer who has a doctorate in biochemistry with a concentration in genetics and writes the Genetic Genealogist blog, a mass collection of genome data at Defense could eventually help improve the health of military members and their families. Collecting basic genomic information on such a large population could also “benefit all of humanity,” Bettinger said.

But Bettinger warned that collection of such data also could be used against individuals if, for example, they had conditions the military could cite as a reason to limit their careers.”

I had a few major concerns about the potential ethical issues with this project, including the following:

1) privacy concerns (since anonymity of genomic data, if it’s made public or leaked, is nearly impossible to maintain);

2) sequencing without informed consent of the members of the military (will it be fine print, or explicitly explained?);

3) use as a screening method (either for denying entrance into the military, or used to steer people toward certain careers w/in the military;

4) and lastly, the unique problems that arise when several generations of a family enlist.  For example, John Doe Jr. enlists and reports that his father is General John Doe Sr.  An army doctor casually glances at the Doe’s genome reports on his iPad and says “no he’s not,” since they don’t share any appreciable amount of DNA.

Are there any potential ethical

There is a great potential for good here, and a great potential for harm.  How the military decides to proceed will determine which prevails.

Robert Estes of DNAeXplain announces the discovery of a previously-undiscovered Native American haplogroup.  Up to the current point, research had found only two Y-DNA haplogroups in the Native peoples of North and South America – C3b and Q1a3a (aka Q1a3a1).  However,  new research described in the accompanying paper (here (pdf)) uncovers a third haplogroup found in Native peoples.

From the paper:

“For the past decade, since the advent of genetic genealogy, it has been accepted that subgroups of haplogroup C and Q were indicative of Native American ancestry. Specifically, subgroups C3b and Q1a3a, alone, are found among the Native peoples of North and South America. Other subgroups of haplogroup C and Q are found elsewhere in the world, not in North or South American, and conversely, C3b and Q1a3a are not found in other locations in the world. This makes it very easy to determine if your direct paternal ancestor was, or was not, Native American. Or so it seemed.”

Estes is a scientist and business owner in the information technology arena.  She is the Administrator of the Lost Colony DNA Project, and more than 20 surname projects.  Her contact information can be found in the paper.

ScienceNews reports that researchers led by Eske Willerslev at the University of Copenhagen are attempting to sequence the genome of legendary Native American “Sitting Bull” (see “Genome of a Chief”).

Earlier this year (2010), Eske Willersleve announced the successful sequencing of approximately 80% of the genome of “Inuk,” a man from Greenland who left behind a few small fragments of bone and four hairs frozen in permafrost when he died about 4,000 years ago (see “Long-Locked Genome of Ancient Man Sequenced”).  Using these ancient DNA sequencing techniques, Willersleve’s group is analyzing DNA from other samples.

One of these samples is a lock of hair from Sitting Bull.

Sitting Bull (c. 1831 – Dec. 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lokota Sioux born in South Dakota.  Sitting Bull played an important role in the June 25, 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn, and later toured as a performer in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.

It is not clear from the ScienceNow article, but the lock of hair being used for the analysis could be the same lock of hair that was repatriated to Ernie LaPointe, the great-grandson of Sitting Bull, in December 2007 (see “Assessment of a Lock of Hair and Leggings Attributed to Sitting Bull, a Hunkpapa Sioux, in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution”).  Ernie LaPointe is believed to be the closest lineal descendant of Sitting Bull, and one of his few remaining descendants (see “Smithsonian traces Sitting Bull’s descendants”).  The lock of hair was acquired from Sitting Bull’s body upon his death in 1890 by U.S. Army surgeon Dr. Horace M. Deeble, and when Deeble died in 1896 it was loaned to the National Museum of Natural History.

It’s unknown when the researchers plan to release their results.  The ScienceNews article mentions that one of the researchers, Cristina Valdiosera, revealed the plan to sequence Sitting Bull’s genome at an August 2010 scientific meeting:

“Valdiosera said that the researchers have the approval of Sitting Bull’s descendents to perform DNA tests on a sample of his hair, and that the team is trying to extract a full genome. If so, his would become the first ancient, non-frozen, Native American genome sequenced.”

Interestingly, it appears that working with Sitting Bull’s genome may be a life-long dream for Willersleve (see “Fossilized feces found in Oregon suggest earliest human presence in North America”):

“[Willersleve] said his own interest in the subject [of ancient American DNA] was sparked by a boyhood fascination with Sitting Bull and other American Indians.”

Sequencing Famous Genomes

As new techniques for sequencing ancient or low-quality DNA samples are developed, researchers will begin to analyze any famous or ancient genome they can get their hands on, which is already beginning to happen.  As a genealogist, I know very well the affiliation humans have for keeping mementos of the past.  There are probably hundreds of famous and ancient DNA samples waiting their turn for sequencing.

Off the top of my head, here are 5 people – either known or likely to have DNA kicking around – that I would nominate for analysis:

• Albert Einstein;
• Abraham Lincoln;
• Ötzi (I believe this one is already in the works);
• Juanita the Peruvian Ice Maiden (a 600-year-old mummy); and
• My great-grandmother Helen (hey, I can’t deny my genealogy side!).

Whose genome would you nominate for sequencing?

Ethical Issues

The ScienceNews article notes “the researchers have the approval of Sitting Bull’s descendents to perform DNA tests on a sample of his hair.”  Certainly they needed permission to obtain DNA from the hair clipping, but did they need permission to sequence that DNA? (setting aside for the moment the many ethical concerns regarding Native American remains).

For example, if I find a hair clipping in a book I purchased at an estate sale, do I have a duty to find the owner’s descendants and ask for permission before sending it away for sequencing?  What if the hair clipping is clearly labeled with the owner’s name and other identifying information?  Further, can I leave instructions for my descendants that they do not sequence or give permission to sequence my DNA?

I’m not a believer in genetic exceptionalism, so I look outside the realm of DNA for insight.  If that book I’d purchased at the estate sale was an old diary or journal, it most likely would not cross my mind to contact the author’s descendants before reading it.  And, interestingly, that diary or journal is much more likely to reveal personal information about the author than anything I could possibly discover in their genome.

What are your thoughts?  What permission might be required when sequencing ancient or famous DNA?

Doctor Radio

I was recently asked to participate in a discussion with Dr. Deb Neklason, Ph.D on the satellite radio channel “Doctor Radio,” hosted by Dr. Ira Breite.  We largely spoke about a 2008 study, led by Dr. Neklason (who I thought did a wonderful job of explaining the science and results in layman’s terms during the show), in which it was concluded that a gene that often causes cancer traces back to a Mr. and Mrs. George Fry who came to America in 1630.  I have a write-up of the study here (http://www.thegeneticgenealogist.com/2008/01/03/a-single-colon-cancer-gene-traced-to-1630-the-future-of-genetic-genealogy/).  There was also some brief discussion of mtDNA testing and the future of personal genomics.

Here is Dr. Breite’s description of this morning’s show:

“Colon Cancer is extremely common in the United States: it is the number two cancer killer of both men and women. Some families have a mutation which makes relatives who have it have an even higher risk than the general population. Now it turns out that this gene may have literally come over, if not with the Mayflower, then pretty darn close to that! Join me and Dr. Deb Neklason, Ph.D and Dr. Blaine Bettinger as we talk about how a single mutation in a single gene in a single person from 1630 has led to thousands of colon cancer cases today.”

For new visitors from the show looking for more information, feel free to browse the archives and featured articles here at The Genetic Genealogist.

Genomes Unzipped

I’m excited to announce the launch of a new personal genomics blog called “Genomes Unzipped.”  It’s authored by some of the best and brightest bloggers (and non-bloggers) in this area, including:

• Genetic Future’s Daniel MacArthur
• Genomics Law Report’s Dan Vorhaus
• Genetic Inference’s Luke Jostins
• PHG Foundation’s Caroline Wright and
• Saaien Tist’s Jan Aerts, among others.

The blog (although it sounds like this will be much more than a blog!) promises the following:

Welcome to Genomes Unzipped, a new group blog bringing together experts in the scientific, legal, ethical and commercial aspects of genetics. Our goal is to provide you with independent analysis of advances in the field of genetics, with a particular focus on implications for the budding industry of personal genomics. We’ll also be discussing ways in which you can make the most of your own genetic data using online resources and techniques developed by researchers.

If you’re interested in genetic genealogy and/or personal genomics, I highly recommend subscribing to this blog (here) and their Twitter account (@genomesunzipped).  Also, look for a “major announcement” on the blog in the near future laying out some future plans for the group.

I wish everyone at Genomes Unzipped the best of luck, and I look forward to reading!

• Daniel MacArthur at Genetic Future writes “Willful ignorance is not an effective argument against personal genomics,” which is a criticism of an embarrassingly bad op-ed by Camilla Long in the Times (U.K.) entitled “When DNA means do not ask.”  In the article Long mentions several types of genetic testing including “superficial services such as ancestry tests.”  A truly uneducated statement, considering that ancestry tests are among the informative of all genetic tests!

• Like Jasia (congratulations!!), I am truly honored to be on the 15 Genealogy Blogs You Need to Read! list that Leslie Albrecht Huber wrote for the Discovering Family History magazine.  I wasn’t previously aware of this magazine, so this was a great way to get their name out.  Thank you again!!  (via the  Family Matters blog).

• Thank you to Access DNA for including The Genetic Genealogist in their list of “Top 5 Genetics/Genomics Blogs“!!  Are you reading the Access DNA blog?

• Brad Templeton at Brad Ideas writes “The odds of knowing your cousins: 23andme Part 1” and “The privacy risks of genetic genealogy (23andMe part 2),” and”Haplogroups, Haplotypes and genealogy, oh my.”  I certainly don’t agree with everything he writes (including how dismissive he is of traditional genetic genealogy, which has fueled DTC genomics for the past 1o years), but the articles are worth a quick read.

• There’s a terrific discussion in the comments to “Genetic ancestry testing: people who don’t want to know” about people who refuse to undergo genetic ancestry testing for personal reasons.  I added my own 2 cents at comment 17 trying to explain some of the most common misunderstandings surrounding autosomal DNA testing.

Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings (“I’m Puzzled by DNA Claims on ‘Faces of America’”) writes about the fourth and last episode of “Faces of America,” a PBS documentary series investigating the ancestry of several famous people in America. This fourth episode included several different types of genetic genealogy to examine the ancestral origins and relatedness of the show’s members.

1. Whole Genome Sequencing by Knome

The first type of genetic genealogy was whole-genome sequencing by Knome of Henry Louis Gates and his father. This analysis examined Henry’s (“Skip’s”) genome for medical conditions and physical traits, and also compared his DNA to his father’s, thereby allowing them to deduce the entire DNA contribution from his deceased mother. This segment was actually quite moving, as Dr. Gates was able to establish this intimate connection to the mother that he and his father obviously missed very much.

2. SNP Analysis by 23andMe

The second type of analysis was large-scale SNP analysis of everyone’s genome by 23andMe. The show primarily focused on the Ancestry Painting, which uses information from throughout the entire genome to determine a very rough estimate of your ancestry. Ancestry Painting breaks down the genome into three categories: Asian/Native American, European, and African. Stephen Colbert, for example, was 100% European, while Eva Longoria was 70% European, 27% Asian/indigenous, and 3% African. I don’t recall any mention or use of 23andMe’s medical or physical trait analysis in the show.

3. mtDNA and Y-DNA Haplogroups

The third type of genetic genealogy was haplogroup testing. In this segment, Dr. Gates spoke with Dr. Bryan Sykes of Oxford Ancestors, which was interesting because it was the first time I’ve ever seen him speak. There didn’t appear to be any surprises here.

4. Mysterious Genomic Comparisons

The fourth type of genetic genealogy testing in the episode is what has caused so much confusion among genealogists. Dr. Gates introduced David Altschuler and Mark Daily as “research geneticists at the Broad Institute.” According to Dr. Gates, Altschuler and Daily have “pioneered a new kind of genetic analysis that can determine if any two people share a common ancestor within the last several centuries.” Although Dr. Gates repeatedly said within the last “250 years”, the scientists repeatedly said “hundreds of years.” A slight difference perhaps, but I tended to disregard the “250 years” as more of a simplification by Gates for purposes of the show rather than any actual limit discussed by the scientists. Regardless, this doesn’t make their analysis any more clear.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate any discussion, literature, or publication by Altschuler or Daily (or anyone else) discussing this “new kind” of genetic analysis. If you’re familiar with one, please point it out in the comments so that we can understand their analysis.

Interestingly, the members of the series apparently did not match each other in 23andMe’s Family Finder, since the 23andMe system would have picked up on that, and further analysis would not have been necessary. And since it appeared that they did NOT undergo further testing, I imagine they used their 23andMe data for the analysis by Altschuler and Daily.

As an example of this comparison, according to Altschuler and Daily, Yo-Yo Ma (who was 100% Asian in his 23andMe Ancestry Painting) is related to Eva Longoria (who was 70% European, 27% Asian/indigenous, and 3% African) within the last few centuries. It obviously wasn’t through Native American DNA since any connection there was many, many thousands of years ago. Does Longoria have more recent Asian DNA perhaps? It seems unlikely (but is certainly not impossible). The fact that this was simply glossed over was an oversight.

I’m having a hard time understanding the results from Altschuler and Daily.  Can anyone else shed any light on their analysis?

Conclusion

Despite the confusion created by the fourth type of genetic analysis, I really enjoyed this episode of Faces of America. As always, it was interesting and entertaining to watch them receive their results and explore their ancestry.

What are your thoughts?

Late last fall, Family Tree Magazine requested nominations for the best genealogy blogs, and then opened voting for the nominated list.  Yesterday, they announced the winners of the voting.  Diane Haddad wrote about the announcement on the Genealogy Insider blog, and Maureen Taylor wrote the article that will appear in the May issue of Family Tree Magazine: “Fab Forty.”

I am very pleased and honored to announce that TGG was selected as one of the 40 Best Genealogy Blogs, in the category of genetic genealogy. I would like to thank everyone who nominated and voted for me.  I have been very fortunate over the last few years to interact with a fascinating array of readers, and I am thankful for every one of them.

When I started blogging in February 2007 (I just recently counted my third anniversary of TGG!), there were very few blogs in the genetic genealogy space.  Today there are a number of interesting and well-written genetic genealogy blogs.  See my recent round-up at “10 Great Blogs for Genetic Genealogists.“  Each of these blogs is well worth adding to your reading list.

I would also like to congratulate all the other blogs on the list, as I am truly honored to be listed among them.  I am an avid reader of the vast majority of them, and I look forward to so much more.  Here are few links to their own announcements:

• Best 40 Blogs: Tracing the Tribe is honored!
• Woo Hoo! Yippee! Yahoo! Hooray!
• Genea-Musings made the Top 40 Blogs list
• Could the Day Get Any Better?
• Giddy
• The Family Tree Magazine 40 Best Genealogy Blogs

And here is the full list of winners.  A huge congratulations to them, as well as to all the blogs that were nominated:

All-Around

• Creative Gene by Jasia Smasha
• footnoteMaven by footnoteMaven
• GeneaBloggers by Thomas MacEntee
• Genea-Musings by Randy Seaver

Cemetery

• The Association of Graveyard Rabbits by several authors
• Granite in My Blood by Midge Frazel

Corporate

• Ancestry.com Blog by various authors

Genetic Genealogy

• The Genetic Genealogist by Blaine Bettinger

Heritage

• George Geder by George Geder
• Scottish Genealogy News and Events by Chris Paton
• Small Leaved Shamrock by Lisa
• Steve’s Genealogy Blog by Stephen Danko
• Tracing the Tribe: The Jewish Genealogy Blog by Schelly Talalay Dardashti

How-To

• Family Matters by Denise Barrett Olson
• Genealogy Guys by George G. Morgan and Drew Smith
• Genealogy Tip of the Day by Michael John Neill
• The ProGenealogists Blog by various authors

Local & Regional

• California Genealogical Society and Library Blog by Kathryn Doyle
• Sandusky History by the staff of the Sandusky (Ohio) Library Archives Research Center
• Midwestern Microhistory by Harold Henderson

News & Resources

• The Ancestry Insider by theAncestry Insider
• DearMyrtle by Pat Richley-Erickson
• Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter by Dick Eastman
• GenealogyBlog by Leland Meitzler

Photos & Heirlooms

• The Family Curator by Denise Levenick
• Shades of the Departed by footnoteMaven

Personal & Family

• Ancestories: The Stories of My Ancestors by Miriam Midkiff
• Apple’s Tree by anonymous
• BeNotForgot by Vickie Everhart
• Educated Genealogist by Sheri Fenley
• Greta’s Genealogy Blog by Greta Koehl
• Heritage Happens by Cheryl Fleming Palmer
• Herstoryan by Herstoryan
• Janet the Researcher by Janet Iles
• Kinexxions by Becky Wiseman
• Little Bytes of Life by Elizabeth
• Our Georgia Roots by Luckie Daniels
• WeTree by Amy Coffin
• West in New England by Bill West
• What’s Past is Prologue by Donna Pointkouski

Daniel Vorhaus of the Genomics Law Report is also a member of the steering committee of the GET (“Genomes, Environments, Traits) Conference 2010. This unique conference, to be held on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 will gather together some of the biggest names in personal genomics, as well as most of the limited number of the people who have released their entire genomes to the public. Tickets for the conference go on sale today here.

As part of the GET Conference 2010, the new BioWeatherMap initiative will officially launch. According to the project’s website, BioWeatherMap is “a global, grassroots, distributed environmental sensing effort aimed at answering some very basic questions about the geographic and temporal distribution patterns of microbial life. Utilizing the power of high-throughput, low cost DNA sequencing and harnessing the drive of an enlightened public we propose a new collaborative research approach aimed at generating a steady stream of environmental samples from many geographic locations to produce high quality data for ongoing discovery and surveillance.”

Unfortunately I will be unable to attend the GET Conference 2010, although I’m sure I and anyone else interested in the Conference will all be able to participate in at least a limited manner through social media.

The Press Release

Personal Genome Pioneers to Convene at the Inaugural Genomes Environments Traits (GET) Conference: Luminaries at landmark gathering to shed light on diverse impact large-scale personal genome sequencing will have on everyday life

BOSTON, Mass. (February 18, 2010) — Worldwide fewer than 20 individuals have had their genomes sequenced and made publicly available, and on Tuesday, April 27, for the first time, nearly all of them will appear together, along with a select group of business leaders and scientific visionaries, to share their experiences and to provide a look ahead at how personal genomics will rapidly and broadly impact society. This historic gathering will take place at the inaugural Genomes Environments Traits (GET) Conference as part of a day-long thought leadership forum, exploring the myriad ways in which the integration of personalized genomic, environmental and trait information will shape the ways in which we access and interact with our genetic information.

“The GET Conference 2010 marks the last opportunity in history to gather a majority of individuals in the world with public personal genome sequences in a single venue,” says George Church, founder and principal investigator of the Personal Genome Project and professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School. “With rapid advances in technology, the number of individuals with personal genome sequences is expected to rise dramatically, from dozens today to thousands by 2011 and a million or more individuals within the next few years.”

The morning portion of GET Conference 2010 will feature wide-ranging discussions during which personal genome pioneers and globally recognized leaders of genomic science and industry, including Misha Angrist, George Church, Jay Flatley, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Rosalynn Gill, Seong-Jin Kim, Greg Lucier, James Lupski, Stephen Quake, Dan Stoicescu and James Watson, will share their experiences and discuss the future of personal genomics. Award-winning science journalists Carl Zimmer and Robert Krulwich will moderate the discussions.

These experts will re-convene in the afternoon for a series of breakout sessions with other thought leaders and conference participants in a series of intimate discussions focused on the role personal genomes play in understanding ancestry, family life, nutrition, and disease risk, as well as the marketplace for products and services that utilize the analysis of genomic and environmental information, including new drug therapies, consumer products and law enforcement applications.

The afternoon program will additionally showcase:

• Four “prototypes of the future” sessions highlighting the next generation of personalized genomic products, services and activities and moderated by the executive editor of WIRED and author, Thomas Goetz.

• The public debut of the BioWeatherMap initiative, a collaboration between scientists and the public using next-generation sequencing platforms to address the fundamental question: “How diverse is the microbial life around us and how can we use that information to our advantage?”

The GET Conference 2010 will take place on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center in Cambridge, Mass. The event will be limited to 200 registrants. To register for the GET Conference 2010, visit http://www.getconference.eventbrite.com/.

About the GET Conference 2010

The first annual GET Conference will gather 200 scientific, industry and thought leaders in the fields of personal genomics, personalized medicine, microbiomics and systems biology, as well as prominent hedge fund managers, VCs, private investors, and philanthropists, in an intimate venue to consider the present and future of personal genomics.

All proceeds from the GET Conference will benefit PersonalGenomes.org, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization which supports the Personal Genome Project and whose mission is to serve as a global ambassador for emerging technologies and knowledge that will positively impact the health and well-being of humankind. For more information, visit www.getconference.org, or e-mail info@getconference.org.

Conference sponsors include: Alan & Priscilla Oppenheimer Foundation; Knome; Life Technologies; Microsoft; OHO Interactive; Procter & Gamble; Robinson, Bradshaw, & Hinson; Schwartz Communications; and Third Rock Ventures. Limited sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information email: info@getconference.org.

About the Personal Genome Project

The Personal Genome Project is an open-ended research study that aims to improve the understanding of genetic and environmental contributions to human traits. The project is currently enrolling members of the public who are willing to share their genome sequence and other personal information with the scientific community and the general public. For more information, visit http://www.personalgenomes.org/.