23andMe Completion, Competitors and their Products - Assignment Example

 23andMe completion Introduction 23andMe is a company that deals with personal genomics and also biotechnology. It is privately held and located in California. Its name originates from the number of chromosomes in a human cell that is twenty-three chromosomes. Its personal genomic test kits where individuals use saliva was the best invention named by the times in the year 2008. The company is cost effective and convenient since individuals only send their saliva to them and the company posts the genotome results online for the customers to download. The target customers for the company are those individuals that are willing to know their personal genomics for a variety of reasons including their relations with other relatives they did not know about. Competitors and their products The main competitors for the company include deCODEme genetics, Navigenics and pathways genomics. The deCODEme genetics is situated in Iceland and is used to identify various human genes that are associated with a variety of human genes that have been associated with various common diseases. It is known to have isolated a variety of genes known to be involved with schizophrenia, cardiovascular disease and even cancer. Pathway genomics is located in San Diego and is also privately held and it deals with personal genomics. It uses advanced technologies of genetic testing to come up with a personalized report regarding the career status of an individual, the response of medication, ancestral history and the probability of the development of a variety of complex diseases. The company then provides this report to patient in the presence of a physician. Navigenetics is also privately held and it also deals with personal genomics and is located in the Foster City in California. It makes use of genetic testing to assist people in the identification of their individual risks for various health conditions facing them. Innovation attributes Relative advantage 23andMe offers their saliva genome testing kit for only $99. The only thing that a client has to do is to spit into a tube and mail it to the company. The company then comes up with results for the client in question and uploads it online for the client to download using their personal details. This make the company quite effective and time-saving as opposed to the competitors. For instance, deCODEme had announced the availability of online services by individuals sending a check swab for their details about risk of diseases and their ancestry for $985. They had launched this service in 2007 and it had a relative advantage of offering a comprehensive genome scan and analysis online. However, this online service was discontinued in 2007 giving 23andMe the relative advantage of continuing its online genome testing service in a more cost-effective manner. Thus, its main relative advantage is its low-cost online service which is effective and time-saving for an individual. The other relative advantage about 23andMe is that it uses the advanced SNP chip technology to ensure that it genotypes over 900000 locations in an individual’ genome. Though this is not the whole genome that individual possess, it is more than enough information for an individual and sometimes one have no idea of what to do with so much information. In addition, the company has a relative finder that helps individual to locate their relatives through an autosomal DNA conducted by the company. The genealogists use DNA relative matches to provide the access to the matching DNA segment and data. This enables the users to determine how they relate to their relative’s DNA matches. The company is also comprehensive in coverage of the personal genome and enables an individual client access whatever it is that they seek for in the tests they undertake. Compatibility It becomes quite difficult for an individual seeking to find their relative through the relative finder to conduct and comparison of their DNA without having a positive response from the individual match. The finder has over half a million users giving genealogists an impressive opportunity to seek what they are looking for. However, getting responses from matches through the use of the permission-based system from the company is often exhausting. The reason is that these genealogists have to come up with DNA from relative matches and data to continue and enable the matching. Failure to that, it is impossible to determine how a user is related to a certain DNA match. The company allows for the sending of a maximum of three introductions for every match though some introductions receive no response or are often declined. Some of these users decline such instructions since they do not understand the motive behind the newly found relative. Other individuals accept the introductions but are unable to accept due to technical errors. Other individuals momentarily decline the introductions deciding to accept it at a later date. However, the company has a rule that if one declines, then it is close to impossible to reverse such a decision. Without an affirmative response from their DNA matches, it is difficult of impossible for the users to make a move regarding their relative findings or matching. Complexity The services that 23andMe offers are quite complex in their operation. It enables individuals to use the DNA finder to find and even connect with their living relatives. On average, the tool enables individuals to find over 180 relative matches. The company’s ancestry painting tool enables users to find and discover the ancient ancestors. This enables one to trace their lineage and understand where they came from. The company also enables individuals to map their global origins through their DNA. The genome of an individual enables them to hold the story of their existing global ancestry. In addition, the company enables individuals to have a glimpse into what the future holds. It enables individuals to compare their DNA with that of their spouses to find out the possible traits of their off springs. This is through the inheritance calculator that is used by the company. Thus, the company is quite complex in the services it offers to its customers. It enables their users to have access to a wide variety of services at a low price of $99. In addition, 23andMe has health interpreters for over 260 health conditions. This enables individuals the individual to understand whether their genome has any health risks in store for them. Despite that most of the health risks from 23andMe are small that an individual cannot live in fear, an individual is able to respond and take care of such illnesses and live a healthy life afterward. The company also offers services for individuals for them to know or receive the prediction of how they respond to some drugs and other physical and also mental traits about one. This information is helpful for individuals especially the ones with an allergy of various drugs. Trialability The company faced issues with FDA over their saliva test kit to test the genotome of their customers. The company had to halt selling its testing kits in 2013 after receiving a warning letter from FDA. FDA claimed that they feared that the company could be giving people false positive or even false negative information that could prompt them to conduct unnecessary actions like taking an unnecessary surgery. During this period, the company evaluated their internal opportunities to offer partial or even full genetic testing services in countries outside the United States. Currently, the company sells a version of the test kit that excludes the health analysis of an individual as they wait the approval from FDA. The information provided includes raw health information and information regarding the ethnic heritage of an individual. The full test that the company undertakes analyzes the probability of individual to have certain diseases condition including diabetes. Later on, they received a clearance letter from FDA and they have continued to come up with multiple innovations. Despite their FDA marketing restrictions reducing their customers’ growth, they are able to come up with creative strategies to win their customers back and gain their competitive advantage in the market. One strategy includes reduction of their prices from $999 to $99. Observability The results of their innovation are widely accepted and this is visible through the number of clients that the company have had in the recent years. The company has genotyped over 790000 individuals. They have come up with three different products each with a different pricing. This includes the health, complete and the ancestry editions. Thus, there are many individuals seeking for their services due to the complexity of the services offered, their comprehensiveness and the efficiency in the services provided. Recommendations The organization should make sure that they improve on their innovations to include more countries. This is more so the less developed countries where some of the citizens are unable to find out about their genotypes due to the high costs associated with it. In addition, the company has a number of competitors some of whom have the license to conduct DNA screening for the availability of diseases. The company should therefore come up with more creative strategies to deal with competition and ensure that they take back their previous client base. Read More