NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Genebase, a division of the Canadian DNA testing company Genetrack Biolabs, is blending DNA-based ancestry analysis with social networking through a new web-based personal genomics project aimed at linking people through their genes and genealogies.
Vancouver-based Genebase has inked a deal with retailers Best Buy and Bay to sell the DNA Ancestry Project, which uses a mailed-in swab DNA sample, to customers in Canada. That DNA profile is used to build a personal web page on the GeneBase BioNet site, which users can use to chat, form groups, blog, post photos, and share information about family trees and genetic history.
The company did not say what the suggested retail price is for the DNA test, but the DNA Ancestry service it describes on its website costs between CAD$140 (US$137.75) and CAD$370.