23andMe taking on Apple with pilot to gather medical data not just DNA

DNA-testing start-up 23andMe is experimenting with a new way to collect a lot more health data from millions of its users than just their DNA.

The company is now asking a subset of customers if they’d be willing to incorporate their lab results, prescription information and medical history, after they’ve received the results from the genetic test. 23andMe, which has sold about 10 million at-home DNA testing kits, will be able to access that data if users let the company connect outside medical providers using a third-party medical data network called Human API.

CNBC viewed the service in action earlier this week and the company confirmed that it’s a beta program that will be gradually rolled out to all users, but declined to comment further on its plans. The service is still being piloted, said a person familiar with the matter, and the product could change depending on how it’s received.

Such a move would bring the 23andMe squarely into Apple’s territory.

Apple, in recent years, has developed its own health records service, which aims to aggregate medical information including lab tests and prescriptions into the Health app on the iPhone.

One missing component from Apple’s program, however, is genetics data, which might present an opportunity for 23andMe to reach people who care about getting a deeper analysis of how their genetic information might impact their risk of disease.