Genetic examination company 23andMe is n’t rifle out , despite declaring bankruptcy . The company and nearly all of its assets , including its biobank of client inherited sample , have been buy by American ergonomics ship’s company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for a cool $ 256 million , the high-pitched bidding submitted in the once - hot startup ’s failure auction .
The purchase , announcedMonday , will place 23andMe ’s brand as well as its Personal Genome Service ( PGS ) , Total Health , and Research Services under the control condition of New York - based Regeneron . It ’ll also continue to operate the company ’s consumer - face genome service without gap , mean you’re able to still corrupt those DNA - testing kits off the shelves of big - box retailers to memorise about your family chronicle and health .
Of all of the potential landing spots for 23andMe — and , more significantly , the datum of more than 15 million people who have submitted familial sample distribution to the party — Regeneron is one of the soft choice usable . There was legitimate concern that the companionship ’s biobankcould have been scoop out upby unscrupulous actors . The failure sale saw California ’s Attorney Generalurge citizensto request that 23andMe delete their information andprompted a investigation from lawmakersconcerned about how the company handled the raw information it collected .
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Your mileage may vary on just how much you commit Regeneron , a caller thatsequences exomesto ascertain refreshing drug targets , with consumer data , but it ’s ( credibly ) better than having 23andMe solid ground in the hand of some private equity graverobber . Regeneron is best known in the public consciousness for its observational “ antibody cocktail ” developed in response to the covid-19 pandemic — thetreatment that Donald Trump tookwhen he tested positive in October 2020 .
Things have been dicey for 23andMe for a while now , so perhaps the new parent party will provide some constancy . The companionship break public in 2021 and was at one pointvalued at $ 6 billionbefore a serial of gamey - visibility failures dragged its valuealmost to $ 0 . The company try out to capitalize on its treasure trove of DNA data to train drug but only ever come two to the point of human testing . It taste to launch a subscription serve with individualized wellness reports and lifestyle advice but give out to hit even half of its goal for sign of the zodiac - ups , per the Wall Street Journal .
Then came the information breach . In 2023 , the company experienced a breach that it initially read affect about 14,000 people . The real figure turned out to becloser to 6.9 million , who had their names , birth class , relationship label , family names , and locations exposed . hoi polloi who opted into the DNA Relatives lineament , which allow for people to name and connect with genetic relation , had their Family Tree profile accessed . The situation did serious damage to the company ’s reputation , which is n’t great when your patronage is reliant on citizenry bank you with their most personal data
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