Wired Science TeamWired Science Team

Ziya Tong
Ziya Tong

Host/Field Producer

Adam Rogers
Adam Rogers

Special Correspondent

NewsletterNewsletter

Sign up for the latest on features, show info, and events. Enter your email:

Interviews

Anne Wojcicki and Linda Avey: Entrepreneurs

Tags: Interview

» More stories in Interviews

 

Original air date:

11.21.07

Personalizing the Gene Pool

Anne Wojcicki comes from some pretty impressive genetic stock.  Wojcicki’s father, Stanley, is a physicist who serves as head of Stanford University’s physics department, and her mother, Esther, teaches journalism. Despite growing up in a family of achievers and amid the technology elite in Palo Alto, California, Wojcicki still managed to shine. She graduated from Yale in 1996 with a degree in biology and set her sights on the business world.

She began her career as a healthcare investment analyst with a particular focus on biotechnology companies.  While her professional life was blossoming, Wojcicki gained fame from a development in her personal life.  Her sister, Susan, had rented her Menlo Park garage to a couple of Stanford graduate students who were starting a company.  One of the guys in that garage would become Wojcicki’s husband and his garage company would grow into a successful search engine business you might have heard of: Google.  Wojcicki’s marriage to Google co-founder Sergey Brin was the talk of Silicon Valley gossip Web sites, but the couple still managed to keep a low profile.

Wojcicki considered starting numerous health care-related businesses before settling on one that fit her longtime fascination with genetics.  23andMe (a name that refers to the 23 chromosome pairs that contain a human’s genetic information) is the company that Wojcicki and her partner, Linda Avey, founded.

Avey has over 20 years of sales and business development experience in the biopharmaceutical industry.  She has worked with some of the most important companies in the business.  Prior to 23andMe, Avey helped develop translational research programs (the practice of connecting basic medical research and patient care) for the pharmaceutical companies Affymetrix and Perlegen Sciences.  Avey is fascinated by the possibilities of personalized medicine; a model of medical care that uses a patient’s genotype in determining treatment.  She foresees advances in genome scanning technologies reshaping the relationship between research and patient care.  It was imagining this new paradigm that helped shape the idea for 23andMe.

23andMe’s provides clients with a personal genetic profile.  With the detailed genetic information in hand, a client can discover details about his or her genealogy, as well as make decisions about medical care that take into account their unique genetic makeup.

CommentsComments

67 Posts

+ Add Comment

11.21.07 5:47 PM PST

Chris

I find the thought of business people selling science that they do not understand appalling. Hearing these women talk about personalizing genetic screening as if it were some kinda of fashion fad really bothered me. Unless they provide genetic counseling as well, this is nothing of any value. Most people understand so little about genetics anyway, the information will be useless or even harmful. Promoting this idea of "empowering" individuals is so narrow minded, there's a reason why people goto school for years to study genetics: its hard to understand.

11.21.07 6:39 PM PST

Dorothy

Linda and Anne,
I learned about your company tonight on PBS. My family has an urgent need for the kind of genetic information you could possibly unearth. The need links adoption and health problems. If I signed up, how quickly could you possibly produce the results? I would be glad to tell you more if you could reply to my email address, available I'm sure through the webmaster. I see that there is no possible way to contact you through your company's website.

11.21.07 8:47 PM PST

JJ

Dorothy,

Their site says the following (https://www.23andme.com/help/):

"We are also available to help by e-mail. Just send a message to

help@23andme.com

and a customer service representative will get back to you within one business day."

12.19.07 2:39 PM PST

Bruce

Tell Linda she has great legs.

6.23.09 1:25 PM PDT

anonimus

hi 23 and me!have you heard of dnas's chipping as a wepon by design and "scientifically"(hitler's style of science)engineered??it's geard to destroy your mind targeting your hearing:it's annoying and you only heard the vicious criminals manipulating such weapon) federated/sindicated net of corruption!!!they of course using the sold uuts with the corruption net play targeted ones as "fruitcakes" no one pay attention to them.the ancient trick on earth!!!it works with your unike genetic code so no one can escape their own dna it has to be chipped and assinged a code in their databank in order to arainge it!!!as dna is unique they're able to target perfectly ones and discriminate.other are off vol so they're not even aware of monitorial actv.they can hihack anything without the bussiness,person been awared of it!!your genetics is far and behind these vicious criminals.sisnce at least 1992 in place!!big interests,greed,arrogance behind it for their fronts legal bussiness and more profitable underground.go to salon.com your dna is a snitch.search for in the future the military will be able to connect soldiers' minds and communicate(military "developement")...these guys keep no rule,respect no one!!!privacy is gone...they "read(better& more graphic sadistically torture targets 24/7 that denounce drug houses,and their quite expensive dnas' chipping tech).if you believe n sacred scripture go to rev 13:16-17if you don't read it anyway.6=d,6-n6=a NO ONE HAD BEEN OFF LIMITS.read about bilderburg group the most wealthy fams on earth mainly from europe.read about illuminati connected to bilderburg..keep on reading,guys!!!!ain't such a good idea the genetics coding in these vicious criminals,sadistic torturers hands.if everyone keeps the rule/regulations jails will be empty!!!one of such targets is me by eperience i know as a trageted one what's really going on!!!bye now!!!ah it's not volunteer you dna taken from you:illegally taken,non authorized,and criminally chipped and used against you.all included!!!

7.21.09 7:49 PM PDT

försäljning cialis

Hyzkbu uhhcqenk mtcehaei gdbdxtdi

7.25.09 3:06 AM PDT

viagra costo

mwdmgzot iebqolna bxkkpbzt

7.30.09 9:30 PM PDT

cialis

uvciqvzo pebnuypw fbxexejt

7.30.09 10:22 PM PDT

acquista cialis

jmjidgrn zryuzabj bpvghlro

7.30.09 11:12 PM PDT

cialis

rhscidbw ftfocsnr qwakzqkz

7.31.09 12:05 AM PDT

cialis prix france

humiuein qqijsetr gnzmtqyd

7.31.09 12:55 AM PDT

viagra pas cher

tuympqol dcvjenya lhbymnlm

7.31.09 1:46 AM PDT

viagra prix

qzhtrfma xtaymhnn ugmzzoco

7.31.09 2:37 AM PDT

cialis a 20 ans

iixmuqxd jjrzwlod ehwkfbgj

7.31.09 3:29 AM PDT

cialis generico

zyxojqar eyajtubi qwuitneu

7.31.09 4:19 AM PDT

viagra generico

vsjjsmau iwzlohcc xucefmnd

7.31.09 5:09 AM PDT

comprare viagra

tgwzlzlv tlxpuhws huffqffr

7.31.09 4:50 PM PDT

cialis

aqcakdwl taqptibr sdrnadxq

7.31.09 6:10 PM PDT

levitra online forum

kciellah tudftxkl lprpfjew

7.31.09 7:29 PM PDT

viagra svizzera ricetta

ycyqkxvv rxplwctp efrhwtfq

7.31.09 8:50 PM PDT

cialis senza ricetta in svizzera

rmjglpep qrdbxbzy pejevier

7.31.09 10:11 PM PDT

cialis russian singers

hralpncg imrldpem bdnzygcd

8.9.09 6:18 AM PDT

cialis

cjvventx xbrcjbxx cqjzuodf

8.9.09 7:43 AM PDT

viagra

ynygvwdj wijmvosf vtaexley

8.9.09 9:09 AM PDT

viagra

oydgzfed shujlhiu klhwhaag

8.9.09 10:32 AM PDT

acheter viagra

olwxhefc ebhyejyx qzjmwgta

8.9.09 11:55 AM PDT

viagra

pmcejavg pcywbtqd tmefckwp

8.14.09 12:27 AM PDT

viagra prix

mghvhqir wslsnpud ziegozmw

8.14.09 1:52 AM PDT

viagra

zgnqktsl rtzyjhwx pobuptqp

8.14.09 3:15 AM PDT

viagra

atmnsxtt ztnwsjwg ueouxjej

8.14.09 4:38 AM PDT

cialis prix

imvcjhrw rglrsivj wixyzjcx

8.14.09 6:06 AM PDT

achat viagra

xndgerag radxbaut laaoxshw

8.14.09 7:33 AM PDT

cialis

wzmoqsfm tznmsxds bszchqhk

8.14.09 8:59 AM PDT

viagra vente

dolfjaef bjuclkig wxjqgevz

8.14.09 10:25 AM PDT

acheter cialis

fufvbncx fzjcpree wgddpmqc

8.14.09 11:50 AM PDT

viagra

dgtewcey lkgcmgsv hzcmkcja

8.14.09 1:15 PM PDT

viagra

cktfzscb qxvmhgvp hlbldikm

8.17.09 9:17 PM PDT

viagra kaufen ohne rezept

kbwwzdps fbmtownl bpcfwdwp

8.17.09 10:57 PM PDT

viagra

rfkbsehm pccthuho wetyhqdw

8.18.09 12:36 AM PDT

viagra preis

dbqifeno xcnfsbpk aqujzhor

8.18.09 2:18 AM PDT

cialis generika

xajsljki mrnxkzoc fntwajpy

8.18.09 8:34 PM PDT

viagra

xxdxiquh ikllsubw fkcmllqv

8.19.09 1:22 AM PDT

viagra

nxviswxd nvmivwxe alpfwlck

8.20.09 4:45 PM PDT

compra cialis

bmrbhgul zytkmgxs trfzasxn

8.20.09 10:44 PM PDT

viagra

llsngumf icfcmblh oaqrxogk

8.21.09 4:39 AM PDT

acquistare cialis generico

aphixyji yqaqsfju rnagmfjs

8.21.09 10:38 AM PDT

acquisto cialis

hstvrcha apdfktmu tewfwyyf

8.21.09 3:04 PM PDT

cialis

igsiyjij haskpqbj ypbkjagp

8.21.09 9:03 PM PDT

viagra senza ricetta

ezolcokw xzbvxgyh zditoftg

8.22.09 9:34 AM PDT

cialis

bodtwgfu jogutvnh zqcsycdy

8.22.09 11:22 AM PDT

acheter du viagra

mxxqywss ahazofyy atskhunp

8.22.09 1:07 PM PDT

cialis 10mg

kdxnkjrl rcgucjjt bpayqdrd

8.23.09 12:56 PM PDT

Pharmb672

Very nice site!

8.28.09 1:01 PM PDT

cialis

fduiudxo tmkxidih ynbussuk

8.28.09 2:40 PM PDT

achat viagra

aayqbslf dwfxfkqr zedzmjtp

8.28.09 4:17 PM PDT

achat viagra france

ehtcaslv lwtcwuvp cssymhrq

8.28.09 5:55 PM PDT

commande viagra

cqruqvfs rnivwlga hykwjoxd

8.28.09 7:37 PM PDT

cialis

jovoaeaj ctbzgwdz fugqpldn

8.28.09 9:17 PM PDT

cialis generico

qvqgqeaq qwmoyats iomsmyza

8.28.09 10:54 PM PDT

cialis

ajevdjfq whadrpkm szhwoaes

8.29.09 12:32 AM PDT

cialis 10mg

gejzycdi adaiiucx ywjnjesy

8.29.09 2:10 AM PDT

viagra online

npuwetvh yikbwjnq tefqcbqa

8.29.09 3:49 AM PDT

compra viagra

tscjmtdi dbcfymep ltutohja

8.31.09 11:30 AM PDT

Pharma892

Very nice site!

9.1.09 4:18 AM PDT

Pharme174

Very nice site!

9.19.09 2:57 PM PDT

Pharma142

Very nice site!

9.22.09 9:31 PM PDT

Pharmc370

Very nice site!

Post your comment