TeloMe, a telomere testing startup co-founded by George Church, has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to provide telomere testing for members of Church's Personal Genome Project.
A $49 pledge covers half the cost of a TeloMe test for the PGP, while $99 buys your own telomere test through the company.
Telomere length has been associated with disease risk and lifespan, and the company claims that telomere testing "can help you to know the length of your telomeres, and take measures appropriate for you to ensure good long-term health."
Preston Estep, CEO of TeloMe and a PGP director, tells Xconomy that the effort is following in the footsteps of projects like uBiome and American Gut that also relied on Indiegogo to raise funds.
“We think that Indiegogo is an outstanding crowdfunding platform,” Estep tells Xconomy. “It’s grown into a primary means for young organizations to reach the public with an unusual and somewhat complex message, and have people learn, and support it, and get involved.”