NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Quest Diagnostics said today that it has signed an agreement with Ancestry.com to provide genetic testing services for the online family history firm's consumer genomics business.
Under the terms of the multi-year deal, Quest will genotype customer samples on behalf of AncestryDNA — a service that identifies and quantifies an individual's ethnic origins based on his or her DNA — beginning in the first quarter of 2017. The partners also anticipate exploring additional opportunities for future collaboration, such as developing tools and applications to help individuals understand their "family medical tree."
Additional details of the arrangement were not disclosed.
In 2007, Ancestry.com signed on Illumina to provide DNA testing services for its customers. "Adding a second diagnostic partner is a critical step forward as we work to continue to meet the consumer demand we're seeing for our DNA tests in the US and markets around the world," AncestryDNA General Manager Ken Chahine said in a statement. "We'll also now be able to move toward an East-West logistical approach, testing kits closer to where our consumers live and, ideally, reducing the time they need to wait to receive their results."