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Last month Renown announced it teamed up with the Desert Research Institute and 23andMe for a community-based genetic test study.  Within days, all 10,000 free kits were claimed by northern Nevadans. Over the past few weeks, participants have started sending off their saliva to be tested. The collection process continued today at Renown. Folks who signed up told us it took less than a half-hour to register and collect a spit sample.

The hope is this community-based genetic health study will empower people to make personalized decisions to improve their own health. Women like Lydia Meyer and Liz Heiman are grateful to learn more about their genetic make-up, too. "For health reasons,” explains Meyer, “We have certain diseases that run in our family and we'd like to know more about that." Heiman adds, "I think it's important for anybody to know. I think if we know what our genetic predisposition is, we can make better choices in life." Along with having a better understanding of her ancestry, Heiman also hopes this trial will help our community advance our medicine, our health care options and improve our lives in the long run.

Some people, like Richard Jay, have already received their 23andMe test results - via email. He discovered he is not a carrier of genetic variants that can cause inherited conditions. His report also confirmed certain habits and physical features based on his family history and ancestry. However, there was one surprise! "I thought given my father being Irish, Deutsch, Welsh and my mother being Hispanic, Spanish, Native American Indian, I'd be a 50/50 blend. Well, I wasn't!  I'm 75% European and 25% my mom!”

Study organizers hope to have everyone tested within the next several weeks. There is a waiting list. To sign up or learn more about this study, log onto https://partners.renown.org or call (775) 982-6914.