Know Your APOE/Alzheimer’s risk from 23andMe/Ancestry DNA Raw Data

Helix, a personal genomics company has launched the Alzheimer’s disease APOE gene test in partnership with ADx Healthcare, a company that provides clinical testing for Alzheimer’s disease. This test covers the APOE gene markers for the variants e2, e3 and e4, which have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
While the genetic test alone is priced at $159, people who do not already have their DNA raw data, would have to pay an additional $40 for the Helix DNA kit. So that makes it $199 for testing the APOE gene.
The APOE e4 variant is the strongest known genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Individuals harbouring a single e4 variant have a 3 to 4-fold higher risk for Alzheimer’s diseases compared to individuals who do not have that variant. While e4 homozygous individuals have a 12–14 fold increased risk towards developing Alzheimer’s disease. On the contrary, the e2 variant is known to reduce genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
The significance of the influence of APOE gene variants towards diagnosis of a progressive neurodegenerative disorder like Alzheimer’s has prompted Xcode Life to release a free APOE/Alzheimer’s risk report. Individuals who already have their DNA raw data from ancestry genetic testing companies like 23andMe, Ancestry DNA, Family Tree DNA, My Heritage DNA, Living DNA and other companies, can simply upload their raw data and get back reports on all FDA approved gene markers for the APOE gene.
This report can be shared with your physician who can help in interpreting it. Combining this report with risk factors like family history, lifestyle etc., may help in understanding the overall personal risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.
If you are looking for a free alternative, you can try Xcode’s APOE/Alzheimer’s risk gene report. You would need to have your DNA raw data from either 23andMe, Ancestry or Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) or any other company which provides DNA raw data.
