I've been meaning to screen myself for genetic diseases and do not trust services like 23andMe. What options do I have?
Ask HN: Where can I genetically test myself without risking privacy?
1–10 of 26 posts
Re: Ask HN: Where can I genetically test myself without risking privacy?
#2[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: Where can I genetically test myself without risking privacy?
#3MyHeritage has a long and detailed privacy policy. Seems like that they are aiming to meet EU standards. Don't have personal experience though, and they might not provide everything what you are looking for.
Re: Ask HN: Where can I genetically test myself without risking privacy?
#4We're building this at Monadic DNA.
I recently posted about our first stab at this at https://vishakh.blog/2025/07/08/using-mpc-for-anonymous-and-....
We'll have a waitlist up pretty soon for people to sign up for a batch of private sequencing.
Re: Ask HN: Where can I genetically test myself without risking privacy?
#5Your doctor ?
Re: Ask HN: Where can I genetically test myself without risking privacy?
#6It's a bad idea for a bunch of reasons but you could always do it yourself: https://nanoporetech.com/products/sequence/minion
Re: Ask HN: Where can I genetically test myself without risking privacy?
#7It's a bad idea for a bunch of reasons but you could always do it yourself: https://nanoporetech.com/products/sequence/minion
Why is a bad idea for a bunch of reasons?
Re: Ask HN: Where can I genetically test myself without risking privacy?
#8Your doctor ?
That's the best advice. I have seen some genetic test results. They are not simple to interpret and it is not easy to know what to test for- every person has natural defects and mutations which not always translates to real diseases.
Re: Ask HN: Where can I genetically test myself without risking privacy?
#9Your doctor ?
The privacy issue still exists in this scenario.
All doctors (including concierge) use 3rd party services for practically everything from blood work to imaging to application products. It’s safe to say that it’s very likely that they’ll outsource the genetic testing to a 3rd party
Re: Ask HN: Where can I genetically test myself without risking privacy?
#10It's a bad idea for a bunch of reasons but you could always do it yourself: https://nanoporetech.com/products/sequence/minion
Suggesting ONT is like suggesting getting a cpu without mentioning everything else that's required.
Even then, you'll need expertise in analysing the output reads. And EVEN then it's difficult to accurately assess variants.