How 23andMe is Helping People Better Understand Their DNA
Market research firm Kalorama Information estimates the consumer market for genetic health testing could triple by 2022. 23andMe's Director of Product Science Shirley Wu explains how the testing company is differentiating itself in this growing market.
"We are the only direct-to-consumer genetic testing company that provides health related information," said Wu. "We believe that everyone has the right to their own DNA information. It's information about you--you should know it if you want to know it."
23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki has been outspoken about the company's efforts to maintain a gender-equal workforce. "It's been really great to be a part of a company like that where from the beginning we had really strong female leaders who set the vision for the company," says Wu. "There's never been a question of can women hold their own."
From Meta’s Oculus to PlayStation’s VR headsets, Cheddar News anchors Ken Bufa and Kristen Scholer cover the potential for this tech in Cheddar Connected as more heavy hitters like Apple look to take the stage.
Umbilical cord blood banking platform Anja Health raised $4.5 million dollars in a seed round led by Seven Seven Six, a venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Anja Health offers a personalized, doctor-backed cord blood bank, which lets new parents freeze stem cells from their child's umbilical cord so they can be used to treat diseases in the future. It's a process Anja has called 'Hollywood's best-kept secret,' as celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Serena Williams, and more have all banked their umbilical cord blood. Kathryn Cross, the founder of Anja Health, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Catching you up on what you missed in today's news. Elon Musk has increased his commitment to purchase Twitter to $33.5 billion, Apple is raising its hourly wages for retail stores to compete for talent, and Roblox has announced that it will be partnering with the medically prescribed video game ‘Endeavor’ to help treat patients with ADHD.
After learning that the suspect in the Uvalde school shooting posted about his intentions on Facebook, activists are urging social networks to make changes. Lena Derhally, a licensed psychotherapist and author of "The Facebook Narcissist," joined Cheddar News to discuss the role social media plays in school shootings. "They're not really invested in taking down hateful content," she said about social platforms."In regards to the shooting, it was 15 minutes before that actual threat. It would be pretty hard for a social media company to trace that threat that quickly. But what they can do better is take down threats and hateful content much faster and more than they're doing now."
Esper Bionics CEO Dima Gazda breaks down how they're creating a mind-controlled bionic hand that guest smarter the more you use it, and what this innovation means for the future of the prosthetics industry.
