23andMe Research Institute to Showcase Scientific Impact and Expanded Research Capabilities at ASHG 2026
New research and capabilities highlight the power of more than 11 million consented research participants
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PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — At the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2026 Annual Meeting, taking place October 20–24 in Montréal, 23andMe Research Institute will present new research demonstrating how its more than 11 million consented research participants are enabling scientific discoveries and advancing the understanding of human health. The nonprofit will also introduce expanded research capabilities that give scientists more ways to learn from the world’s largest and most diverse consented genetic research cohort.
Across four presentations and posters, 23andMe scientists and collaborators will share research spanning clinical genetics, disease biology, and new analytical methods. New findings quantify the value of returning medically actionable genetic results to patients at population scale, and a CoLab session will show how scale, deep phenotyping, and the ability to recontact participants make it possible to answer questions that are difficult to address in smaller cohorts. Additional studies introduce a new approach to finding rare genetic variants linked to disease and evaluate how well participants’ self-reported health information aligns with clinical records.
23andMe is also working with qualified researchers to extend its research beyond what it could accomplish alone, in pursuit of faster breakthroughs and the greatest possible impact on human health. The nonprofit will highlight research capabilities that connect genetics with de-identified real-world health data, giving scientists more depth and clinical context for their work, and discuss its commitment to expanding access to genetic and phenotypic data to enable more scientific discovery.
“With more than 11 million consented participants, we can ask questions that simply weren’t answerable before,” said Adam Auton, DPhil, Vice President of Research. “By combining that scale with deep phenotyping and the ability to recontact participants, we can help researchers tackle questions that conventional cohorts were not designed to answer, while maintaining our commitment to protecting participants and their data.”
Attendees can visit the 23andMe Research Institute at Booth #400. On Thursday, October 22, at 5:00 p.m. ET, VP of Research Dr. Adam Auton will present “Genetic Discovery at Population Scale: What Becomes Possible with 11 Million Research Participants” on the CoLab Stage. On Friday, October 23, at 1:30 p.m. ET, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Noura Abul-Husn will present “Returning ‘Omics Results to Patients to Improve Health” in Session 86. A full schedule of presentations and posters is available at 23andme.org/blog.
Scientists interested in working with 23andMe can contact bd@23andme.org.
About 23andMe Research Institute
23andMe Research Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) research organization that enables people everywhere to access their genetic information, learn about themselves, and participate in large-scale research for public good. The Institute unites people with the common goal of improving health and deepening our understanding of DNA, the code of life.
Media Contact: Aushawna Collins 23andMe Research Institute aushawnac@23andme.org
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