US House Committee Seeks Testimony From 23andMe Co-Founder After Bankruptcy

A U.S. House committee on Tuesday asked 23andMe's co-founder to testify next month as it launched an investigation into the risk of genetic data being transferred to potential buyers amid the DNA testing company's bankruptcy.

James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky and the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to 23andMe's Anne Wojcicki, seeking her testimony on May 6 as well as documents and information from the genomics firm.

The genomics firm filed for bankruptcy protection last month after struggling with weak demand for its ancestry testing kits.

Wojcicki made multiple failed takeover bids for the company and resigned as its CEO in March. She is still a board member of the company.

The bankruptcy filing has raised concerns about where the genetic data it collected would go. The company has said the bankruptcy process will not affect how it stores, manages, or protects customer data.

23andMe collects saliva samples to provide insights into ancestry and health risks.

There were concerns the data on 23AndMe's more than 15 million customers, if not protected sufficiently, could be accessed by countries such as China, or used for assessing higher insurance premiums, among other purposes, Comer said.