23andMe executives say they plan to leverage their database of millions of customer genotypes ‘to help accelerate personalized healthcare at scale,’ a key goal of precision medicine
In what some financial analysts believe may be an indication that popularity of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing among customers who seek info on their ethnic background and genetic predisposition to disease is waning, personal genomics/biotechnology company 23andMe announced it has completed its merger with Richard Branson’s VG Acquisition Corp. (NYSE:VGAC) and is now publicly traded on NASDAQ.
According to a 23andMe news release, “The combined company is called 23andMe Holding Co. and will be traded on The Nasdaq Global Select Market (“NASDAQ”) beginning on June 17, 2021, under the new ticker symbol ‘ME’ for its Class A Common shares and ‘MEUSW’ for its public warrants.”
Now that it will file quarterly earnings reports, pathologists and clinical laboratory managers will have the opportunity to learn more about how 23andMe serves the consumer market for genetic types and how it is generating revenue from its huge database containing the genetic sequences from millions of people.
After raising $600 million and being valued at $3.5 billion, CNBC reported that 23andMe’s shares rose by 21% during its first day of trading.
“23andMe is more than just a genetics company. We are an activist brand that is approaching healthcare and drug discovery with the individual at the center, as our partner,” said Anne Wojcicki (above), 23andMe’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, during remarks she gave after ringing the opening bell on the company’s first day of public trading, a 23andMe blog post noted. “We are going to continue pioneering a consumer-centered personalized healthcare world. We are going to show that drug discovery can be more efficient when you start with a human genetic insight,” she continued. (Photo copyright: TechCrunch.)
Might the quick rise in its stock price be a sign that 23andMe—with its database of millions of human genotypes—has found a lucrative path forward in drug discovery?
23andMe says that 80% of its 10.7 million genotyped customers have consented to sharing their data for research, MedCity News reported, adding that, “The long-term focus for 23andMe still remains using all of its accumulated DNA data to strike partnerships with pharmaceutical companies.”
Time for a New Direction at 23andMe
While 23andMe’s merger is a recent development, it is not a surprising direction for the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company, which launched in 2006, to go.
Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, both 23andMe and its direct competitor Ancestry had experienced a decline in direct-to-consumer testing sales of at-home DNA and genealogy test kit orders. This decline only accelerated during the pandemic.
In “With Consumer Demand for Ancestry and Genealogy Genetic Tests Waning, Leading Genomics Companies Are Investigating Ways to Commercialize the Aggregated Genetics Data They Have Collected,” Dark Daily reported how, “faced with lagging sales and employee layoffs, genomics companies in the genealogy DNA testing market are shifting their focus to the healthcare aspects of the consumer genomics data they have compiled and aggregated.”
Meanwhile, 23andMe Therapeutics, a division focused on research and drug development, has been on the rise, Bloomberg News reported. On its website, 23andMe said it has ongoing studies in oncology, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases.
“It’s kind of an ideal time for us,” Wojcicki told Bloomberg News.
“There are huge growth opportunities ahead,” said Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, which sponsors the special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) VG Acquisition Corp., in the 23andMe news release.
In a VG Acquisition Corp. news release, Branson said, “Of the hundreds of companies we reviewed for our SPAC, 23andMe stands head and shoulders above the rest.”
“As an early investor, I have seen 23andMe develop into a company with enormous growth potential. Driven by Anne’s vision to empower consumers, and with our support, I’m excited to see 23andMe make a positive difference to many more people’s lives,” he added.
Report Bullish on Consumer Genetic Testing
Despite the apparent saturation of the direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing market, and consumers’ concerns about privacy, Infiniti Research reported that worldwide sales of DTC tests “are poised to grow by $1.39 bn during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of over 16% during the forecast period.”
“This study identifies the advances in next-generation genetic sequencing as one of the prime reasons driving the direct-to-consumer genetic testing market growth during the next few years. Also, reduction in the cost of services and growing adoption of online service platforms will lead to sizable demand in the market,” the report states.
Clinical laboratory leaders will want to stay abreast of 23andMe rise as a publicly-traded company. It will be interesting to see if Wojcicki’s vision about moving therapies into clinics in five years comes to fruition.
—Donna Marie Pocius
Related Information
23andMe Successfully Closes its Business Combination with VG Acquisition Corp.
Ringing in 23andMe’s Next Chapter
Genetic Testing Company 23andMe Rises in First Trade After Richard Branson SPAC Merger
Four Takeaways From 23andMe’s SPAC Deal
23andMe DNA Testing Firm Goes Public Following Branson Deal
