What Do We Do?
Our company is dedicated to autosomal DNA analysis. We have leveraged advancements in data science and genetics to bring you a new avenue of personal discovery which will allow you to get an advanced look into your genome relative to populations around the world.
Ancestral informative markers are compared to our extensive reference panel and used to discern where your ancestors came from on a global scale. We have three test categories, and also provide estimates on your levels of archaic hominin ancestry.
What We Specialize In
We create ethnicity estimates based on genetic markers within your DNA file. This is a highly intricate process and involves probabilistic calculations, statistical analysis, identification of data based trends, computational biology, and predictive analytics. While extensive, this approach is necessary in conjunction with thorough cross validation procedures in order to arrive at a refined model that can produce accurate reproducible results. Our methods are outlined in a concise manner below.
1. Data Gathering
Representative genomes from worldwide populations were gathered. These were obtained through publicly available research projects in conjunction with purchases of relevant privately owned data sets. These allowed us to form a functional reference panel that can be used to infer regions of origin down to the sub-regional level.
2. Establishing the Panel
Outlying samples and closely related samples were removed after establishing limits for genetic clusters and the data panel was refined. A reference panel was formed using these data points.
3. Inference method Created
Software was used to model worldwide population clusters in relation to their genomic data. Predictive analytical methods were created based on the data and the models went through an iterative testing procedure.
4. Extensive Refinement of Methods
The results of testing were assessed for validity and parameters were redefined. Additional testing was completed until working predictive models were established with a reasonable degree of accuracy.
Want to Learn More?
If you want to learn more about our company, processes, or methodologies, please visit the following links to read the FAQ and How It’s Done sections. These sections are detailed and give an in-depth overview of the topics pertaining to our autosomal DNA test.
Genetic Ancestry Test
This ancestry test is useful in determining the ancestry of any ethnic group or ethnic mix on a global scale, and includes an extensive and diverse reference panel of ethnic groups. See below for our list of ethnic groups included in this test. Note that this does not include some of the ethnic groups within the Jewish Diaspora since there is often overlap with other groups in the reference panel. This test includes Continental Ancestry, Subregional Ancestry, Ethnic Ancestry, Archaic Human Ancestry, and a section dedicated to ancestral groups detected but not included in the other percentage categories (due to overlap).
Jewish Diaspora Ancestry Test
The ancestry of the Jewish Diaspora includes components originally from the Levant, along with genetic components from other regions. This can often lead to overlap with other ethnic groups when using standard reference panels, and the results can often be confusing for customers when looking for genetic ancestry in terms of Jewish ethnic groupings. Hence, we designed the reference panel for this test for customers with a majority of their ancestry stemming from Jewish ethnic groups to allow for greater insight with less overlap.
This test uses a reference panel consisting of ethnic groups specific to the Jewish Diaspora, and is designed to give the user more clarity in terms of which Jewish Diaspora related ethnic groups one’s ancestry stems from.
This test includes Continental Ancestry, Subregional Ancestry, Ethnic Ancestry (Jewish Ethnic Groups), Ethnic Ancestry (non Jewish Ethnic Groups), Archaic Human Ancestry, and a section dedicated to ancestral groups detected but not included in the other percentage categories (due to overlap). The portion of the test displaying the Ethnic Ancestry (non Jewish Ethnic Groups) shows one’s ancestry using a non-Jewish ethnic group reference panel, while the Ethnic Ancestry (Jewish Ethnic Groups) displays one’s ancestry in terms of Jewish ethnic groups ranging from the Caucasus to North Africa.
Central Asian Ancestry Test
The ancestry of Central Asia includes components from multiple different regions. This can often lead to overlap with other ethnic groups when using standard reference panels, and the results can often be confusing for customers when looking for genetic ancestry in terms of Central Asian ethnic groupings. Hence, we designed the reference panel for this test for customers with a majority of their ancestry stemming from Central Asian ethnic groups to allow for greater insight with less overlap.
This test uses a reference panel consisting of ethnic groups specific to Central Asia, and is designed to give the user more clarity in terms of which Central Asian related ethnic groups one’s ancestry originates from.
Using our general Genetic Ancestry Test, users will find that Central Asian DNA will often be assigned a combination of components that are representative of more generic ancestral components found in the region (Mongolian, Iranian, Pashtun), while with this Central Asian Genetic Ancestry Test it assigns users more specific ethnic groups (Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Uyghur, Hazara, etc). This test includes Continental Ancestry, Subregional Ancestry, Ethnic Ancestry (Central Asian Groups), Archaic Human Ancestry, and a section dedicated to ancestral groups detected but not included in the other percentage categories (due to overlap).
About Us
At HeredityLab, we stand at the intersection of engineering excellence and genetic insight. Our founding team comprises a duo of engineers with a fervent interest in genomics. We are both passionate about human genetics and leveraging data analytics to help the average person gain a more thorough understanding of their genome and ancestral origins.
We seek to translate the complex lexicon of genes into an accessible account of your ancestry, rendering the esoteric language of genomics into coherent stories of lineage and descent. We are committed to continually refining our processes and expanding our data sets to incorporate new findings and methodologies.
Read more on the About Us page.
