Team Type 1 and 23andMe Create Partnership for Diabetes Research

Team Type 1 and 23andMe announce a strategic partnership to research and understand Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes through 23andMe’s Personal Genome Service. 23andMe, Inc., an industry leader in personal genetics, conducted a genetic analysis of all 88 members of Team Type 1, to investigate diabetes and how genes impact athletic performance. The analysis was conducted at Team Type 1’s training camp in Georgia where saliva samples from each team member were collected.

The process by which 23andMe genotypes DNA uses the latest in DNA technology. Once the lab

receives a sample of a person’s saliva, DNA is extracted, cut into smaller, more manageable pieces and applied to a DNA “chip.” The DNA chip is a small glass slide with millions of microscopic beads on its surface. Attached to each bead are “probes”—bits of DNA complementary to sites in a person’s genome where their single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, are located. SNPs act as biological markers and allow scientists to locate genes associated with disease.

The last time a study like this was conducted was in 2009 when over 100 players from the NFL were recruited for a study to understand how genes impact athletic performance. It was the largest genetic examination ever conducted on professional American athletes.

“We are pleased to partner with Team Type 1 on this diabetes research project,” said Anne Wojcicki, President and Co-Founder of 23andMe. “We hope to advance the scientific research into Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes using our web-based research platform which creates an entirely new way to study complex diseases, as we have done with our Parkinson’s Disease Initiative.”

“Team Type 1 is excited to join forces with 23andMe to research and understand the role genes and our environment impact diabetes,” said Team Type 1 Founder and CEO, Phil Southerland. “It’s partnerships like these that help Team Type 1 take its mission to the next level to create change in people’s lives.”

Results of Team Type 1’s genetic analysis with 23andMe will be available in the coming months.

Tags: America, Georgia, Performance, Phil Southerland, Team Type 1, technology