Know your Genes personal genome service at $999

A GENETICS website encouraging people to send in swabs of their saliva began operating on Monday in a closely watched Silicon Valley venture with links to the search firm Google.

The site, 23andMe.com, is named after the 23 pairs of chromosomes in the human body It claims to offer the first "personal genome service" for $999 (about Rs 39,000) a customer Using hi-tech analysis software, the company says it can read up to half a million points in an individual's genome.

The service is intended to help people understand their inherited traits and to allow them to compare themselves with friends and family Anne Wojcicki, one of the co-founders, said, "We believe this information provides intriguing insights into an individual's genetics, with the goal of expanding the collective knowledge base by enabling active participa- tion in research."

Wojcicki is married to Sergey Brin, Google's co founder The venture is based in Mountain View, the same Silicon Valley town as Google. Personal genetics is becoming an increasingly competitive area. An Icelandic firm, DeCode Genetics, already offers personal genetics read- ings, having become prominent by building up a database of much of Iceland's population.

A degree of controversy has erupted over the use of personal genetic information by people trying to assess their chances of contracting hereditary diseases. 23andMe says it can help people understand the relative importance of genetics in comparison with diet, personal habits and the environment. It has an "odds calculator" to predict which ailments are more likely to strike customers.