Signed by 20 other democratic members of the Congress, the letters were sent to the Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the Ttam Research Institute, who made separate offers to buy 23andme. In the letters, they ask for Regeneron and Ttam if they continue to offer customers the opportunity to delete their data and withdraw the consent for their data to be used in medical research. They also want to know if the current policy of 23ndme not to share genetic data with the police without a mandate will be supported and if both entities intend to notify the customers on the sale in a proactive way.
After fighting for years to make a profit, 23andme presented bankruptcy protection in March and put his activities for sale. Shortly after, his CEO Anne Wojcicki resigned. Wojcicki had tried without success to take the private company, but his proposals were rejected by a special committee formed by the board of directors of 23ndme.
In May, the Biotechnological Society Regeneron announced that he had been appointed the successful bidder in a bankruptcy auction, offering $ 256 million to acquire 23andme. “We believe we can help 23andme to deliver and build on her mission to help those interested in knowing their DNA and how to improve their personal health, while promoting Regeneron’s efforts to use large -scale genetic research to improve the way the society treats and prevents the disease overall”, said George Yancopoulos, co -founder and chief scientific officer of Regeneron, in Declaration of the company last month.
But after the closing of the auction, Wojcicki made an offer on his own, offering $ 305 million through a new -training non -profit research institute. The offer has prompted a federal judge to reopen the sales process and now both Regeneron and Ttam will have the opportunity to make a final offer.
Founded in 2006, 23andme opened the way to the field of personal genomics with its DNA test kits, which allow customers to know their ancestors, family connections and some medical risks after sending a spit sample. Although he has sold over 12 million of his DNA test kits, the company has never reached profitability and fought to diversify its revenue flows after becoming public in 2021. In another shot to the company, a great violation of the data in 2023 exposed the personal data of millions of customers, including a loss that aimed at Chinese users and Ashkenazites.
The new owner of 23ndme would acquire his vast genetic data beam, raising questions about how such data would have been used. Pursuant to the current policy of 23ndme, customers can choose to make their genetic data and other personal information available for medical research. They also have the opportunity to delete all their data and direct 23ndme to destroy their saliva sample. The members of the congress who sent the letters on Thursday are looking for clarity by Regeneron and Wojcicki on the fact that they intend to continue such practices.
The signatories are also concerned about the genetic data shared with the police and the immigration authorities and the possibility that genetic data and other personal ones are used to train models AI. They also ask Regeneron and Ttam to disseminate a complete list of all third parties who currently have access to 23nd data and passages that both entities take to guarantee the transparency of third -party access in the future. 23 and previously had a multi -year research collaboration with Glaxosmithkline giant pharmaceutical.
Representatives ask Regeneron and Ttam to respond by June 26th.
Joe Selsage, interim CEO of Wojcicki and 23andme, testified during a Chamber Supervision Committee Listening to this week the concerns on privacy and national security that surround the sale of 23andme. During that hearing, Selsavage told the legislators that 1.9 million people, or about 15 percent of its customer base, asked that their genetic data be removed from the company’s servers since the company presented bankruptcy protection in March.
This week, more than two dozens of states and the Columbia district have filed a cause against 23ndme, claiming that the company cannot auction highly sensitive personal genetic information of 15 million customers without their consent or knowledge.