Question 1

What DNA files do you accept?

Accepted Answer

We accept raw data exports from 23andMe (all versions), AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, LivingDNA, and FamilyTreeDNA. Files can be .txt, .csv, .tsv, .zip, or .gz format. Most consumer DNA chips contain 600K–900K variants.

Question 2

How accurate are polygenic risk scores?

Accepted Answer

Every score uses peer-reviewed PGS Catalog models selected for report-grade coverage and relevance. Each score shows percentile direction and coverage. With imputation enabled, coverage jumps from ~30% to ~95%, making scores significantly more useful. PRS show relative genetic tendency compared to the population.

Question 3

What happens to my DNA data after analysis?

Accepted Answer

Your DNA file is deleted immediately after analysis completes. All intermediate files are purged within 2 hours. You receive a SHA-256 Data Deletion Certificate proving destruction. We do not store, sell, or share your genetic data.

Question 4

What’s included in the report?

Accepted Answer

300+ carefully curated polygenic risk scores across cardiovascular, cancer, metabolic, neurological, immune, and trait categories, surfaced after coverage and quality filtering. ClinVar variant scanning, pharmacogenomics, protein pathway context, training and diet guidance, and downloadable evidence packs are delivered as an interactive HTML report.

Question 5

What is imputation?

Accepted Answer

Consumer DNA chips only test ~700K positions out of your 3 billion base pairs. Imputation uses a reference panel to infer additional positions that were not directly measured. This improves polygenic risk score coverage, especially when key model variants are not present on the original chip.

Question 6

How long does analysis take?

Accepted Answer

Without imputation: 2–5 minutes. With imputation enabled: 15–45 minutes depending on server load. You’ll receive your report by email when it’s ready.

Question 7

Is this a medical diagnostic tool?

Accepted Answer

No. Helix Sequencing is for research and educational purposes. Results should be discussed with a healthcare provider before making medical decisions. Polygenic risk scores show relative genetic predisposition, not diagnoses.

Question 8

Can I compare my DNA with a family member?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our DNA Compare feature lets you trace variant inheritance between two related individuals — see which alleles came from which parent, identify shared risk factors, and explore inherited traits side by side.

Domain	Score	What Helix Prioritised	Held-Out Phenotype Evidence	Rationale
Metabolic / BMI And Glucose	Signal detected	Metabolic body-composition and glucose divergence	BMI/body-size and glucose-domain phenotype hits were present.	Report directly surfaced body composition, glucose, waist-ratio, and diabetes-related context with protective counterweights.
Neurological / Migraine, Headache, ADHD	Signal detected	Brain, headache, mood, and sleep-wake context	Migraine, headache, ADHD, and neurological-domain hits were present.	Report directly surfaced headache tendency, mood, chronotype/sleep-wake, and neurodevelopmental context.
GI / Digestive, Colon, Ulcer	Signal detected	Gallbladder and digestive-load context; Colon-polyp and cancer-background context	Digestive, colon, and ulcer keywords appeared in the phenotype summary.	Report covers gallbladder/digestive load plus colon-polyp and benign colon-neoplasm context.
Autoimmune-Inflammatory / Asthma And Eczema	Signal detected	Immune, gut, and skin inflammation context; Respiratory and sleep-breathing context	Asthma and eczema/inflammatory keywords appeared in held-out phenotype.	Report surfaced eosinophil, inflammatory bowel/celiac/psoriasis/sarcoidosis/mouth-ulcer, respiratory, and skin inflammation context.
Cardiovascular / Cholesterol And Blood Pressure	Signal detected	Cardiovascular lipid and blood-pressure context	Cholesterol and blood-pressure phenotype keywords were present.	Report explicitly surfaced mixed coronary/lipid/blood-pressure context with favorable counterweights.
Cancer / Colon Polyps Background	Signal detected	Colon-polyp and cancer-background context	Cancer and polyps keywords appeared in the phenotype summary.	Report directly surfaced colon-polyp, benign colon-neoplasm, colorectal, prostate, and cancer-pathway context without diagnostic framing.
Pharmacogenomics / Medication Context	Signal detected	Medication safety / PGx utility section	Medication-domain phenotype hits were present.	Separate medication safety section surfaced CYP2C9, CYP3A5, and SLCO1B1 actionable/interpretable PGx findings.
Rare/Monogenic Candidate Context	Signal detected	Clinical variant status negative-control area; Colon-polyp and cancer-background context	Syndrome keyword appeared, but no genotype-only diagnosis should be promoted.	Report kept rare/monogenic findings in controlled context and did not promote a carried rare diagnosis.
Rare/Monogenic Negative Control	Signal detected	Clinical variant status negative-control area	No severe rare genetic diagnosis was expected from held-out phenotype summary.	Report did not promote a rare/monogenic diagnosis from genotype-only evidence.

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Case Card

Report generated

Phenotype revealed

Scorecard recorded

What Helix Prioritised: Top 5

Secondary Domains: Top 10

Held-Out Phenotype Domains

Missed Known Conditions

Protein / PGx Signals

Evidence Panel

Reviewer Notes

Phenotype Terms Revealed After Report Freeze

Frozen Review Notes