Oct 25, 2009

Smart Genetics Shuts Its Doors

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing company, Smart Genetics, has gone out of business.
The two-year-old company sold HIV Mirror and Alzheimer’s Mirror, DNA tests for HIV progression to AIDS and Alzheimer’s risk respectively.I first wrote about HIVmirror in June 2007. Aimed at HIV+ individuals, the test analyzes the CCR5 Delta32 and CCR2-64I genetic variants previously shown to slow the progression of HIV infection to AIDS.
Alzheimer’s Mirror examined the APOE gene.CEO and co-founder Julian Awad first received funding for the company while at the Wharton School of Business. He was later profiled by CBS News for Alzheimer’s Mirror and found that his own personal lifetime risk of Alzheimer’s disease is about 9 to 10 percent compared to 15% for the general population.
Ironically, he was also mentioned in a Wharton article from 2007 – Can Anyone Make Sense — or Money — Out of Personal DNA Testing?
Apparently not.

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei

1 comment: