SAN CARLOS, Calif., Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Helix, a personal genomics company, announced today the broad availability of its new DNA Discovery Kit, an entry point to ancestry and wellness DNA testing at a price point of $49.99. The product began shipping November 1st to customers who had pre-ordered the kit and is now widely available for purchase through Helix.com.

The DNA Discovery Kit is designed to provide an easy-to-use, affordable way to start exploring some of the ancestry and wellness insights you can find in your DNA. Included in the Discovery Kit is everything needed to submit a DNA sample to Helix's CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited lab for the company's proprietary sequencing, which unlocks 100x more data than other consumer tests on the market.

Once your sample is sequenced, you will have access to two introductory embedded apps: Ancestry Basics — which offers starter insights into your genetic ancestry, including the region of the world your ancestors lived in and how those inherited genes may affect you today — and Wellness Basics by Helix partner Lose It! — which provides insights into the way lifestyle, fitness and nutrition can intersect with your genetics.

Ancestry Basics and Wellness Basics insights also include:

Wellness Basics

• Body mass index (BMI) introduction
• Calcium levels
• Coffee consumption
• Endurance vs. power

Ancestry Basics

• Continental ancestry
• Altitude adaptation
• Cold adaptation
• Diet adaptation
• Malaria adaptation

"We've learned a lot from our customers who come to the Helix store, many of whom are curious about how their DNA may play a role in their health and wellness but have never done any sort of DNA testing before," said Robin Thurston, CEO of Helix. "People are excited about the variety of choice — we have over 35 products in four different categories, and DNA Discovery Kit gives them a great way to start exploring. It's a terrific gift for a friend or relative who wants to do the same. We want to empower people to improve their lives through an understanding of their DNA. The DNA Discovery Kit is a simple way to embark on that journey."

Also included in the DNA Discovery Kit is a $20 promotional card to use for additional DNA products found in the Helix Store, and unlike other personal genomics companies, with Helix you only need to sequence once in order to garner additional insights on topics ranging from ancestry, wellness, health and more. These insights are supported within the Helix Store from over 20 partners including Mayo Clinic and National Geographic.

About Helix
Helix is a personal genomics company with a simple but powerful mission: to empower every person to improve their life through DNA. We've created the first marketplace for DNA-powered products where people can explore diverse and uniquely personalized products developed by high-quality partners. Helix handles sample collection, DNA sequencing, and secure data storage so that our partners can integrate DNA insights into products across a range of categories, including ancestry, health, wellness and entertainment. From profound insights to just-for-fun discoveries, Helix is here to help people live a fuller life. Helix is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, has an office in Denver, Colorado and operates a CLIA- and CAP-accredited next-generation sequencing lab in San Diego powered by Illumina ILMN NGS technology. Helix was created in 2015 with funding support from Illumina, its largest shareholder. Learn more at www.helix.com.

Helix, the Helix logo and Exome+ are trademarks of Helix Opco, LLC.  All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

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SOURCE Helix