Advances in bioinformatics are becoming the norm for end users through ordinary commercial services, including the one that I recently experienced. Genetic analysis, albeit a seemingly professional name it may be, is now available online as a buyable service on many online stores here in China.
Instigated by the recommendations of Xiaohongshu (a Chinese content sharing social media) and having had simple comparisons between several providers of such service, I ordered a Standard Genetic Analysis Kit from 23mofang about a month ago.
This is COSTLY!
Many shared concerns about the security risks of sharing with commercial companies their genetic samples, which are only too unique to be as identifiable as other biotic features like fingerprints and IDs. This is true, but the concerns are rather unnecessary: nothing is 100% private in this information age where everything digital you once thought was secret would still likely to become transparent.
Sampling Process
The test kit was mailed directly to my home 2 days after my purchase via SF Express.
The main object is a container for storing saliva samples, with a funnel that makes the sampling process easier. An instruction is included in the package that teaches the user the steps to collect oral epithelial cells with the tongue. Thankfully, the method of operation is so simple for users without professional knowledge of biological experiments, like me, that the whole process took less than 2 minutes.
The contents of the test package
Following the instructions, I packed the sample container and mailed it back to the address (looks like a lab) that the vendor provided. I did not pay for the freight as it was covered by the service itself. It took another two days before the vendor notified me of their receipt of the mail-back.
Testing
The time table of the whole test process is as below. The Days column are the number of days after purchase.
| Days | Event |
|---|---|
| 2 | Mailed the test kit back to the vendor. |
| 4 | Vendor received the saliva sample. |
| 5 | DNA extraction completed. |
| 7 | DNA sequencing completed; analysis started. |
| 12 | Genetic analysis available. |
Wonderful! Still can’t believe that my “code” can be deciphered so quickly.
Analysis
When I received the analysis, I realised that “DNA sequencing” and “analysing” are two different procedures in the genetic analysis service they offer.
The “DNA sequencing” procedure is applied undifferentiated to each sample, while the programmes available in the “analysing” procedure are subject to the plan chosen by the participant.
The plan that I chose was the “standard” plan, which covers the majority of analysis items, such as descent, the detection of physiological traits and many hereditary diseases, and the suggestions on sporting, medication and day-to-day management. Advanced plans offer other seemingly “urgent” analyses, including the approximate risks for some common diseases, which don’t seem so compelling (at least for now) to buy at once.
Here I picked some analysis that I thought was interesting to share :))
The analysis page. There are about 60 items in each "standard" analysis that are divided into 9 sections.
Impeccably pure Southern blood.
Built-in Features. About the last one: thanks for the blessing!
Conclusion
As is in the title, I rather call the genetic analysis service a “Scientific Fortune-telling”: based on bioinformatic observations and statistics, the accuracy of it is still anyone’s guess, even though many of them seemed correct.
It is, however, an interesting experience, one that reveals the viability and endeavour to enable the common people to participate in a frontier science that is still being studied – a rare opportunity.
