IP Library Granted Patent US 12,100,487
Granted Patent B2
US 12,100,487 · App. 18/434,362 · Granted Sep 24, 2024

Finding relatives in a database

Inventors: Lawrence Hon (Sunnyvale, CA); Serge Saxonov (Oakland, CA); Brian Thomas Naughton (Mountain View, CA); Joanna Louise Mountain (Menlo Park, CA); Anne Wojcicki (Palo Alto, CA); Linda Avey (Lafayette, CA)
Assignee: 23andMe, Inc.
G16B50/30G06F16/2457G06F16/9535G06N5/048G16B10/00G16B30/00G16B50/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,100,487
App. No.
18/434,362
Granted
Sep 24, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Determining relative relationships of people who share a common ancestor within at least a threshold number of generations includes: receiving recombinable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence information of a first user and recombinable DNA sequence information of a plurality of users; processing, using one or more computer processors, the recombinable DNA sequence information of the plurality of users in parallel; determining, based at least in part on a result of processing the recombinable DNA information of the plurality of users in parallel, a predicted degree of relationship between the first user and a user among the plurality of users, the predicted degree of relative relationship corresponding to a number of generations within which the first user and the second user share a common ancestor.

Claims (48)

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a computing system and from a user, a request for information about potential familial relatives among a plurality of users in a familial relative finder database, wherein the familial relative finder database comprises recombinable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence information of the plurality of users, including that of the user;

determining, through use of bitwise parallel processing by the computing system, identical-by-descent (IBD) segments from the recombinable DNA sequence information of the user and the recombinable DNA sequence information of the plurality of users;

based on the IBD segments, predicting, by the computing system, familial relative relationships between the user and each of a subset of users from the plurality of users; and

providing, by the computing system and for display on a client device of the user, a representation of a graphical user interface indicating the familial relative relationships between the user and each of the subset of users.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein determining the IBD segments comprises:

identifying the IBD segments based on a plurality of locations within a region of the DNA sequence information of the plurality of users.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein identifying the IBD segments comprises:

representing, in respective bitwise arrays for each of the subset of users, the locations that have opposite-homozygous values to that of the user with a one and the locations do not have opposite-homozygous values to that of the user with a zero;

performing, in parallel, a bitwise OR operation over each of the respective bitwise arrays to form a result array; and

determining, where the result array indicates a zero, that a particular user of the subset of users and the user share an IBD segment within the region.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein a number of the subset of users matches a word length of a processor of the computing system.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein identifying the IBD segments comprises:

determining that a particular user of the subset of users and the user share an IBD segment where there is no more than a predetermined rate of opposite homozygotes between the particular user and the user within the region.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein determining that the particular user and the user share the IBD segment comprises:

determining that the IBD segment has a distance between consecutive opposite homozygotes that is above a predetermined threshold within the region.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein identifying the IBD segments comprises:

determining that a particular user of the subset of users and the user share an IBD segment where a distance between consecutive opposite homozygotes is above a predetermined threshold within the region.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the IBD segments include a particular IBD segment shared by the user and a particular user of the subset of users, the computer-implemented method further comprising:

determining that the particular IBD segment overlaps with a disease gene; and

providing, to the particular user, a notification that the particular user is at risk of a disease associated with the disease gene.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the graphical user interface indicates the familial relative relationships between the user and each of the subset of users in tabular form.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein entries in the tabular form display, for the user and each particular user of the subset of users, predicted familial relative relationships and a percent of DNA shared.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein entries in the tabular form are sorted according to closeness of the predicted familial relative relationships with the user.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein an entry in the tabular form displays an icon selectable by way of the graphical user interface that facilitates making contact between the user and a particular user to which the entry applies.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , further comprising:

receiving, from the client device, an indication that the user has selected the icon; and

in response to receiving the indication, providing, for display on the client device, a representation of a second graphical user interface that prompts the user to enter a personalized introduction message and to select personal information that the user is willing to share with the particular user.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , further comprising:

receiving, from the client device, the personalized introduction message or selection of the personal information; and

in response to receiving the personalized introduction message or selection of the personal information, transmitting an invitation to connect to the particular user on behalf of the user.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14 , wherein the particular user has opted-in to being presented with information about potential familial relatives.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein entries in the tabular form are anonymized to hide identities of the subset of users.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein each entry in the tabular form also displays, for the user and each particular user of the subset of users, a number of IBD segments shared.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, from the user, a number of generations as a threshold relationship value, wherein each of the subset of users has a respective common ancestor with the user that is no more than the number of generations from the user.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving from a user, a request for information about potential familial relatives among a plurality of users in a familial relative finder database, wherein the familial relative finder database comprises recombinable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence information of the plurality of users, including that of the user;

determining, through use of bitwise parallel processing, identical-by-descent (IBD) segments from the recombinable DNA sequence information of the user and the recombinable DNA sequence information of the plurality of users;

based on the IBD segments, predicting familial relative relationships between the user and each of a subset of users from the plurality of users; and

providing, for display on a client device of the user, a representation of a graphical user interface indicating the familial relative relationships between the user and each of the subset of users.

20. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory containing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a user, a request for information about potential familial relatives among a plurality of users in a familial relative finder database, wherein the familial relative finder database comprises recombinable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence information of the plurality of users, including that of the user;

determining, through use of bitwise parallel processing, identical-by-descent (IBD) segments from the recombinable DNA sequence information of the user and the recombinable DNA sequence information of the plurality of users;

based on the IBD segments, predicting familial relative relationships between the user and each of a subset of users from the plurality of users; and

providing, for display on a client device of the user, a representation of a graphical user interface indicating the familial relative relationships between the user and each of the subset of users.

Assignments (4)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE APP. NO. 63806415 TO 63806145 AND APPL NO. 17721779 TO 17731779 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 73168 FRAME 531. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF NAME. Recorded Jan 6, 2026
From: 23ANDME PGS LLC
To: 23ANDME GENOMICS LLC
Reel/Frame 074434/0334 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 22, 2025
From: 23ANDME PGS LLC
To: 23ANDME GENOMICS LLC
Reel/Frame 073168/0531 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 26, 2025
From: 23ANDME, INC.
To: 23ANDME PGS LLC
Reel/Frame 072562/0795 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 8, 2024
From: HON, LAWRENCE; SAXONOV, SERGE; NAUGHTON, BRIAN THOMAS; MOUNTAIN, JOANNA LOUISE; WOJCICKI, ANNE; AVEY, LINDA
To: 23ANDME, INC.
Reel/Frame 066417/0904 →
Continuity (10)
Continuation 17979412 · Nov 2, 2022
Continuation 17576738 · Jan 14, 2022
Continuation 17351052 · Jun 17, 2021
Continuation 17073110 · Oct 16, 2020
Continuation 16129645 · Sep 12, 2018
Continuation 15264493 · Sep 13, 2016
Continuation 13871744 · Apr 26, 2013
Continuation 12644791 · Dec 22, 2009
Provisional Application 61204195 · Dec 31, 2008
Related Publication 20240212793A1 · Jun 27, 2024