Overview
Nebula Genomics offers whole genome sequencing, weekly DNA reports, and ancestry analysis. Nebula DNA sequencing and reports cost between $149-999 depending on which package you opt for.
About Nebula Genomics
Nebula Genomics was founded by an experienced genomics scientist named Professor Church and his students Kamal Obbad and Dennis Grishin in 2016. The company is based in California. Their goal is to enable users to share genomic data safely in order to generate large datasets which can be used to advance the science of human genetics.
Nebula Genomics Products and Features Review
The core product of Nebula Genomics is whole genome sequencing with up to 100X sequencing depth allowing them to attain high accuracy DNA sequencing data. You can also subscribe to their research library, Nebula Explore, which allows you to compare your DNA to scientific literature in order to generate risk scores for certain health conditions.
Nebula also offers deep genetic ancestry which utilizes data in your Y chromosome and mitochondria to give you the most accurate ancestral information.
Nebula Genomics Reports Review
The reports in the Nebula Explore research library are laid out based on individual research studies. Each report is composed of information about genes from the findings from particular studies. These reports are updated weekly with new research articles, so if you hold an active subscription to Nebula Explore then you have access to new information weekly.
See below an example of a report on anxiety from Nebula Explore:
Keep in mind that Nebula Genomics only analyzes a few SNPs per report. For comparison, the SelfDecode Anxiety DNA Wellness Report analyzes over 800,000 genetic variants to provide your genetic predisposition score and personalized recommendations to help you optimize your health. You can upload your DNA to SelfDecode for free to get started.
- Read more about how to choose the best DNA test for weight loss.
All of the reports contain a general overview of the subject and the study along with an interesting fact about the subject. This section also contains your polygenic risk score (your percentile) relative to other Nebula Genomics users, however, this score is not necessarily indicative of how this condition is relative to your health.
Following this general overview of the selected study, you will have access to a table which lays out the genetic findings of the study along with your genotype to inform you whether you are at an increased or decreased risk of exhibiting the trait. See an example of this table below:
Whilst this chart can be informative, the terms used are fairly scientific and may not be as easy to understand for the average person who has little knowledge of how genetics studies work. Nebula also provides links to additional information on the topic at the bottom of each report.
You can also access mini-reports on several well established genetic traits, which include a SNP, a summary and a link to the study. However, these reports don’t contain any recommendations on how to counteract any of your genetic predispositions.
The reports look at four types of traits: appearance & hormones, behavior & perception, body & athleticism, and nutrition & diet. The mini-report below for example is about how you handle nicotine:
Nebula Genomics Ancestry Review
Nebula Genomics ancestry offering is a fairly recent addition. They offer in depth ancestry reporting based on Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA. You can access your ancestry report by navigating to the ancestry review and selecting the My Data option. This will provide you with a breakdown of your ancestral heritage as a percentage based on different regions from around the world. See below an example of this report:
Nebula Genomic Oral Microbiome Report Review
As well as providing your own DNA, Nebula also provides you with a report on the bacteria which live in your mouth. They do this using the same technology used to generate your DNA, but instead generate the data for the bacteria in your saliva DNA sample.
This is useful as the oral microbiome has been linked to conditions like Irritable Bowel Disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Your data is provided in the format shown below.
You are given a percentile showing how your oral microbiome compares to other users along with information from curated studies about how your oral microbiome may be linked to particular conditions, however, bear in mind this is not designed in any way to be a diagnostic tool.
Cost of Nebula Genomics
In order to fully utilize Nebula’s research library, you will need to have whole genome sequencing data which they provide in three separate packages.
- Basic package ($99): 0.4X coverage, which essentially means it is far less accurate than their more expensive packages
- Deep package ($299): offers 30X coverage
- Ultra deep package ($999): offers 100X coverage
The basic package doesn’t sequence all of your DNA. The only difference between the 30X and 100X packages is how sure you can be about the accuracy of your data.
You should bear in mind that Nebula Genomics will not pre-pay your shipping outside of the USA, meaning you will have to cover the costs of shipping your sample to Hong Kong.
Once you have received your genetic data, you will have a 14-day free trial of the Nebula Genomics reporting service; however, after this trial, you will have to pay $10+ per month or $200 for lifetime access to this service.
Once your data is generated, you are able to download it and utilize this data with other services if you don’t want to take this subscription.
Nebula also accepts raw DNA data upload from other service providers.
Is Whole Genome Sequencing Worth It?
The main question when it comes to whether to use Nebula Genomics for your DNA sequencing is whether or not it’s worth paying for whole genome sequencing, and the simple answer is no.
Currently, whole genome sequencing costs a lot more than your standard DNA sequencing service used by companies like 23andMe and SelfDecode, however, these companies are able to use complex algorithms to generate variations of millions of genetic variants.
Whole genome sequencing is not currently mainstream, which means you won’t get as many benefits from this data, like being able to upload it to other services, as you would from more typical and cheaper ~$99 kits which are widely used by a range of DNA service providers.
Whilst the amount of data generated by whole genome sequencing is unmatched, the reference data to compare your own data to is lacking. There also isn’t a lot of information to be gained from large parts of our DNA as the science simply isn’t that far ahead. However, having this data for the future may be useful.
Whilst this data may come in handy further down the line as the technology progresses, it doesn’t necessarily represent value for money in 2023.
Health Recommendations from Nebula Genomics
Nebula Genomics offers a great deal of literature for customers to compare their genetic data to, which allows them to identify whether they are predisposed to a specific condition or trait. However, this is as far as their health information goes.
Unfortunately whilst customers may be able to identify that they are genetically predisposed to be at a greater risk of a particular health condition, they aren’t provided with any further information on what may increase or decrease their risk. Nebula does not offer users personalized recommedations based on their results.
This is quite a large gap in the information they provide, as it can be quite discomforting to know you are at risk of certain negative health conditions.
Review of Nebula Genomics Privacy & Data Security
Nebula Genomics stores their customers’ data using blockchain technology, which you may have heard of before, as this is the same technology that is used for cryptocurrency. Nebula claims that by storing their users’ data this way, it makes it more secure in the event of any data breach.
Nebula also claims to offer “anonymous genetic sequencing”. What this means is that they allow you to pay for their services anonymously using cryptocurrency or a pre-paid credit/debit card, sign up to their site anonymously, browse their site anonymously using a VPN and ship anonymously to a location of your choice.
Whilst this process can be anonymous, Nebula Genomics does also share all of the data they process with researchers, however, this is also done so anonymously.
Alternatives to Nebula Genomics
Depending on what aspect of genetic testing you’re interested in, there are alternatives to Nebula Genomics.
One alternative to Nebula Genetics that provides insights into your health and ancestry is SelfDecode.
SelfDecode not only helps you identify your genetic health predispositions, but their wellness reports also include personalized recommendations to counteract specific problematic genetic variants, giving you the best in precision medicine.
SelfDecode uses predictive algorithms to analyze around 83 million genetic variants (up to 1 million+ per wellness report), giving you the most accurate health & ancestry data based on your genetics.
You can upload your DNA file or get a SelfDecode DNA kit. For users who need a DNA kit, SelfDecode offers two options:
When it comes to ancestry, SelfDecode in-depth ethnicity percentage breakdown, as well as a color-coded map that can help you easily discover where you’re from. You’ll be able to trace your maternal lineage back through the ages, learning where they started in the world, and the journey that they took to get to where you are today. Ancestry Insights is only available with a SelfDecode DNA kit.
To get started, you can upload your DNA for free to SelfDecode to get access to wellness and traits reports & recommendations to help you take control of your health.
Comparisons
| SelfDecode | Nebula Genomics | 23andMe | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personalized & holistic health recommendations | Yes | No | No |
| Products | Free DNA & lab analysis, DNA and lab testing, wellness reports, research-based personalized health recommendations, lab test analyzer, ancestry | WGS, health reporting, traits, ancestry | DNA testing, traits, wellness reports, more accurate ancestry |
| Raw data upload | Yes | Yes (limited) | No |
| Raw data access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cost (USD) | Free DNA upload
Plans from $99-$249 |
$0 (limited) – $999+ | $99 – $199+ |
Nebula Genomics Reviews
Trustpilot – 4.1 of 5 stars
Overall the reviews of Nebula Genomics on Trustpilot are positive, however, there are two relatively frequent complaints being that the test results took longer to arrive than expected and that the reports are difficult to gain useful information from.
Better Business Bureau – 3 of 5 stars
There are only 5 reviews for Nebula Genomics on the BBB, and the theme of these reviews is relatively similar to Trustpilot, however, the Nebula Genomics account on BBB has refuted the negative reviews.
Takeaway
Nebula Genomics brings whole genome sequencing technology to the consumer market. However, a lot of the information can’t currently be used to gain useful insights into your health or ancestry. This means that whilst you may gain some benefit from this type of data in the future, currently the value for money isn’t quite there.
If you’re looking for the best value for money in ancestry or health reporting now, rather than looking to pay a premium for data that may have more uses in the future, then you may be better suited looking elsewhere.
A service like SelfDecode can offer cutting-edge health and ancestry insights. If health reports are what interest you, SelfDecode provides personalized genetic insights and recommendations to optimize your health. SelfDecode’s platform uses AI and machine learning to accurately predict and analyze up to 83 million SNPs from a typical DNA test.
With Ancestry Insights from SelfDecode you’ll discover your ancestry composition, mitochondrial ancestry, and other detailed reports (only available with the SelfDecode DNA kit).
If you already had your DNA tested, you can upload your file to SelfDecode for free to discover your genetic predispositions and personalized health recommendations.
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