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In a recent development for the field of consumer genetics, MyHeritage, has announced the transition of its at-home DNA testing product to Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS). The shift positions MyHeritage as the first major commercial DNA testing company to adopt WGS technology at a scale exceeding one million samples per year.
This is a pivotal moment for genetic genealogy. We are proud to take this pioneering step into Whole Genome Sequencing together with Ultima Genomics and with our longstanding partners at Gene by Gene. MyHeritage customers will enjoy the fruits of this technological upgrade for years to come, through increased accuracy, deeper insights, and exciting new products.
Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage
Traditional consumer DNA tests, including previous MyHeritage kits, have relied on genotyping arrays that sample approximately 700,000 specific sites within the human genome. By contrast, Whole Genome Sequencing reads nearly the entire human genome, around 3 billion base pairs, providing a comprehensive dataset that enables deeper and more granular genetic analyses.
MyHeritage’s move to Whole Genome Sequencing marks a major milestone for consumer DNA testing. It demonstrates the scalability and maturity of Ultima’s innovative technology and accelerates the immense value that Whole Genome Sequencing can bring to consumers. It has been a pleasure collaborating with MyHeritage over the past few years, and we are proud to work together with them and Gene by Gene to bring genetic genealogy to new heights for millions of consumers worldwide.
Dr. Gilad Almogy, Founder and CEO of Ultima Genomics
According to MyHeritage, new kits are now being processed using WGS technology developed by Ultima Genomics and implemented at the Gene by Gene laboratory. While existing customers’ previously processed samples will not be re-sequenced, new users will receive their results based on the expanded WGS dataset. The company will also provide access to the raw sequence data, in CRAM format, at no additional cost.
The transition to Whole Genome Sequencing represents the most ambitious project in our years-long partnership with MyHeritage. We are proud to help set a new standard in consumer genomics and support the growth of what will soon become the world’s largest database of whole genomes. The rollout is centered at Gene by Gene’s state-of-the-art laboratory in Houston, Texas, which will house a large fleet of Ultima UG100™ sequencing instruments.
Dr. Lior Rauchberger, CEO of Gene by Gene.
The decision follows a multi-year collaboration between MyHeritage, Ultima Genomics, and Gene by Gene. A 2020 validation study by the MyHeritage Science Team demonstrated that WGS could reliably support large-scale relative matching, a cornerstone of the company’s genealogical services. The present implementation, based on Ultima Genomics’ high-throughput sequencing technology, builds upon that foundational work, establishing a scalable framework for population-level analysis in consumer genomics.
The integration reportedly required a complete overhaul of MyHeritage’s DNA processing pipeline, balancing data accuracy, computational efficiency, and cost control. Notably, the company emphasized that this major upgrade will not increase the price of its consumer DNA kits.
If successfully implemented at scale, MyHeritage’s move could accelerate the democratization of genomic data access and potentially set new standards for data depth, interoperability, and consumer empowerment in the genetic testing sector.