
Genealogy and genomics take their vows
Guest post by Brianne Kirkpatrick, MS, LGC, genetic counselor. Genomics research and genealogy have been dating for a few years now, and it seems that 2015 was the year they finally took their vows. With the growth of interest in tracing familial lineages — genealogy being the second-most favorite hobby reported by Americans — the technologies created for searching historical records of families are available instantly, with a mouse click or a screen swipe. Engagement in family history collection and availability of commercial DNA testing for ancestry are galvanizing the general public alongside the growth of genomics databases in research and industry. Growing interest in uncovering ethnic roots and genetic family has opened the doors for novel research projects, leading to a new cohort of willing and able participants. Some readers might already be familiar with the DNA.Land project, a non-profit partnership between New York Genome Center and Columbia University. DNA.Land is accepting raw genotype data files from participants who were able to obtain these files by purchasing commercial ancestry testing. Unaffiliated with the testing companies themselves, DNA.Land provides a re-analysis of the computerized genotype data and provides additional tools, such as a participant-matching database and ethnicity estimate. This research project provides an opportunity […]