NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – 23andMe has received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to market its first health-related test, for Bloom syndrome, directly to consumers.

The test determines whether a healthy person carriers a genetic variant that could be passed on to a child. Bloom syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder that results in short stature and a predisposition to cancer. The child must inherit two abnormal alleles in order to have symptoms of the syndrome.