In what Nebula Genomics claims is the "most affordable personal genome sequencing" on the market, as of Feb. 18, the direct-to-consumer DNA testing startup's flagship test is available in 188 countries for $299.
The startup's whole-genome sequencing provides consumers with a significantly more comprehensive report than the genetic testing services of competitors such as 23andMe and Ancestry. While those and other consumer DNA testing companies analyze approximately 600,000 genomic variants, Nebula Genomics' whole-genome sequencing analyzes more than 6 billion.
With the $299 testing kit, consumers receive lifetime access to their results and analysis — containing what the company claims is "10,000 times more data than with 23andMe and AncestryDNA" — plus weekly updates based on new genetic discoveries.
In its Feb. 18 announcement, the company also outlined its plans to build a blockchain-enabled data management platform to improve the security of the collected genetic data.
Nebula Genomics was founded in 2018 by George Church, PhD, a genomics pioneer and professor of genetics at Boston-based Harvard Medical School, and Harvard researchers Dennis Grishin and Kamal Obbad.