Futura Genetics Review

The DNA testing kit from Futura Genetics is easy to use – all customers have to do is follow a set of fairly regular and self explanatory instructions to start their DNA testing journey.

Firstly, customers need to order a kit through the company website which is sent to the given address via UPS, which is totally free of charge.

Once received, users will find that the test is conducted through giving a sample of saliva.

Users will then need to register their kit online which can be done through an easy to follow personal account page. All the instructions are clear to see and logical. Users receive an email confirming their registration almost immediately. During the registration phase, users will need to find the kit’s unique barcode with its 8 digit codes. This is perhaps the only point where user error can come into play as it is easy to mistype the number. It is during the registration step that users can choose what language they want their report in, which can be English or German.

To send the saliva filled tube back to Futura Genetics, users will be contacted directly through the online portal to arrange collection. The firm uses UPS to come to your door so that customers do not need to travel to the post office to send the parcel back off. Customers can also simply drop their sample off to the nearest UPS dropbox to be picked-up. This is a great feature of this testing kit, especially as it comes free of charge too. Users are then emailed with updates every time a sample has been through one of the DNA testing steps, so they can track their sample.

Futura Genetics aims to get results back in a report within four weeks of receiving the sample. They publish the reports online as a PDF file, which is easily shareable, should users want to use the results in that way. Customers also have the option to request a printed version of their results, free of charge. Many will want to take the report to their doctor to discuss with him or her in greater detail.

As previously mentioned, Futura Genetics only offers the one test which is DNA health testing. Their test screening kit is available to US, Canadian and European customers. While it does not offer any information on ancestors or geographical lineage, it does allow for testing a person’s genetic predisposition for 28 diseases or illnesses. Comparatively speaking, this is a pretty long list and makes Futura Genetics an attractive proposition for those who are worried about any hereditary ailments, or otherwise, that they may have. The test was compiled so that customers could then go on to make any lifestyle choices or adjustments they deemed necessary off the back of learning their results.

Futura Genetics conducts DNA analysis by testing, once the sample has arrived in-house, your sample for any genetic variations or the like it can find. But how does it do this?

Firstly, technicians work on isolating DNA from the saliva samples which they then go on to work on in a procedure called amplification. This allows them to read your genetic makeup which they then go to interpret for you in your final report.

Futura uses a CLIA lab, and a machine learning algorithm created by a multi-national team of professional, using state of the art techniques. This makes reading DNA as easy and reliable as having an x-ray done!

Services Offered: There is only one DNA test kit option available, that uses one state of the art genetic chip, which tests for the following 28 conditions:

• Age Related Macular Degeneration
• Alopecia
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Atrial Fibrillation
• Basal Cell Carcinoma
• Bladder Cancer
• Breast Cancer – BRCA1/BRCA2 Analysis
• Celiac Disease
• Colorectal Cancer
• Coronary Heart Disease
• Exfoliating Glaucoma
• Gastric Cancer
• Graves’ Disease
• Intracranial Aneurysm
• Lung Cancer
• Lupus
• Melanoma
• Migraine
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Obesity
• Open Angle Glaucoma
• Peripheral Vascular Disease
• Prostate Cancer
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Type 1 Diabetes
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Venous Thromboembolism

Futura Genetics have a robust privacy policy. They will only ever pass on personal details to anyone in the following instances:

• In the event that Futura Genetics sells or buys any assets as a business
• If Futura Genetics is taken over by a different entity
• If required by law
• When a customer allows it through giving their permission

In addition, your information and details will go on to be stored within the area known as the European Economic Area (EEA), however, for its processing and screening it may go outside this area in locations where Future Genetics is not in the EEA. To give customers reassurance, the company explicitly states that it does all it can to protect customer data. This type of statement is rare amongst Future Genetics competitors.

In addition, the DNA testing firm will never disclose information that is personal or private over the telephone or via email. Any correspondence you have with the company, verbal or otherwise, requires a set of data that is unique to you so that you can access your own information. Each kit is decked out in a barcode that helps keep users totally anonymous.

According to the EU law DNA samples are destroyed after 6 months after reports have been compiled. DNA samples are always stored separately from personal data.

The final report that Futura Genetics provides give customers the risks they have for each condition as well as an overall percentage in addition to a relative risk with an average. From there, the report explains some factors that could affect those risks. So if a customer could help themselves by eating healthily or quitting smoking, they are told so here.

The report is written in such a way that users can be confident of their accuracy as well as fully comprehensible. The language used is plain English (or German), but each explanation under each section is thorough and clearly steeped in scientific fact. What many users like about the report is how easy it is to share with a physician for further clarification.

The report also explains what all the diseases are. It’s a really helpful section given that Futura Genetics tests for so many diseases that the average person can’t be expected to know what each of them are – but that’s not to say that their report would not come back showing they have a high risk of developing one. This could be incredibly alarming and in some cases unnecessarily so, which is why the inclusion of these disease explanations is a good addition.

In addition to Futura’s DNA test report, the company also offers a special service to past 23andMe users. Customers can provide Futura Genetics with the raw data received from their 23andMe ancestry DNA test. Futura will use the raw data to test and provide results concerning to 28 common diseases their own test looks for. The product is totally digital. and the report is available in English. It usually takes ~5 minutes to upload the raw data file and wait for the results (in pdf).

Customers can expect to receive information on the following diseases when they send in their 23andMe raw data:

 

8 Types of Cancer:

Futura Genetics includes BRCA status for breast cancer risk and tests 8 additional SNPs on the ATM gene to define your risk more precisely.

Also, you’ll discover your chances of bladder, colorectal, gastric, lung and prostate cancer, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma.

Autoimmune Diseases:

Autoimmune diseases appear when the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Instead of fighting foreign invaders, the antibodies produced by the immune system damage self-tissues.

Futura Genetics can give you your Celiac Disease risk based on the mutations in HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DQA1 genes (like 23andme) and detect your risk of developing other autoimmune diseases including lupus, Graves’ disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

Life quality:

The 23andMe test identifies your risk of age-related macular degeneration caused by mutations in the ARMS2 and CFH genes. The Futura 28 health DNA test goes further and explores your risk of open-angle glaucoma and exfoliating glaucoma. With glaucoma one of the most common reasons for sight loss, this assessment is crucial.

Based on your 23andMe raw data Futura Genetics will estimate your risk of developing diabetes (type I and type II), migraine and alopecia (hair loss). You can then better manage environmental and lifestyle factors to reduce your lifetime risk.

There is no getting around that the one-off flat fee of $375 for the single DNA test is fairly steep – especially when compared to some competitors who charge a significant amount less than that yet also provide ancestry information in addition.

However, from now until August 11th, there is a promotion with a 40% discount off your test. Simply type in the code “Friend19” in your cart before purchase.

The cost of sending in the 23andMe raw data file is $99 only.

Also, what comes with the price is the knowledge that Futura Genetics uses labs that are fully CLIA accredited which is not a certification that is easy to come by. The company also has over 15 years of experience in genetic testing so they really know their stuff, which shines through in the clear, extensive and logical report.

However, while the initial fee may seem quite steep, users can be confident that there will be no further hidden costs that they will suddenly have to incur to make the most of their DNA health screening. Some DNA testing companies are guilty of charging on a subscription basis which is not clear from the outset, or only making certain results available when customers have made further payments. Futura Genetics likes to keep it simple. There is never a charge added for shipping and handling, no extra taxes, nor do customers pay for a printed version of their results. There is never any money made using a customer’s personal data.

Futura Genetics has a very approachable support function with its live chat feature as well as email capability that runs 24/7. Reviews from past customers often talk about the professionalism that was experienced throughout the process of DNA testing that Futura Genetics displayed, and above all when customers were seeking help or guidance in how to complete any part of the registration process.

Responses are quick and in terms of getting results through for the DNA test reports, customers never seem to wait any longer than four weeks. Again, this is impressive given the wide range of diseases and conditions that Futura Genetics test for and how extensive the final reports are that they compile.

In short, while quite pricey, customers can be confident that the results they receive from Futura Genetics in their report are accurate. It helps that the company is built around the ethos of helping people lead longer and healthier lives by giving them all of the useful information that their genes hold. Futura Genetics strongly believes that customers can then be empowered to go on to make the best lifestyle choices possible that could really have an effect on their quality of life.

This could be simple, like keeping a regular eye on any moles for any changes that could point to melanoma, to emphasizing a person’s need to stay out of the sun as much as possible and to use sunblock at all times. Or perhaps looking into a major diet overhaul to limit the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. These are all conditions that people can work to prevent themselves and Futura Genetics seem genuinely dedicated to helping people do so.

Either way, the DNA testing kit and the result report that this company provides is impressive and always professional. The company consistently look at ways to innovate and always use the very best technology that is available to improve their procedure and processes. While they may not provide a totally unique service in what it can test for, the overall experience that customers have with Futura Genetics is often exemplary.