Regeneron Acquires 23andMe for $256 Million

By Bio-IT World Staff 

May 20, 2025 | Yesterday, it was announced that DNA testing company 23andMe was purchased by Regeneron for $256 million. The deal is expected to close on July 1. The deal includes “substantially all assets” of 23and Me, but it will not include Lemonaid Health, a telehealth services provider that 23andMe plans to gradually close. 

Regeneron already uses deidentified data from its own sequenced genetic information of nearly three million people in research studies. With the acquisition, Regeneron will support 23andMe with its mission of helping customers learn about their DNA and how to improve their personal health, as well as continuing with efforts  “to use large-scale genetics research to improve the way society treats and prevents illness overall,” as stated by Aris Baras, senior vice president and head of the Regeneron Genetics Center, from a press release on Monday. 

Since going public in 2021, 23andMe has struggled to be profitable, mostly because of the lack of returning customers. Data security and privacy concerns related to customer data and genetic information also affected the company’s stock, particularly when a data breach occurred and affected 6.9 million user accounts in 2023. As a result, the company filed for bankruptcy back in March 2025.  

With the acquisition, there are questions on how new ownership will handle customers’ data. Baras said, “We assure 23andMe customers that we are committed to protecting the 23andMe dataset with our high standards of data privacy, security and ethical oversight.” Regeneron will present a review to a court-appointed, independent Customer Privacy Ombudsman and other parties on the intended use of customer data, privacy programs, and security controls in place, according to the press release. 23andMe will operate as a wholly owned direct or indirect subsidiary of Regeneron and continue operations as a personal genomics service.   

23andMe expanded its platform to drug discovery back in 2015 in an effort to make healthcare more efficient. The company has collaborated with organizations for research projects over the years, such as Fox Insight Data Exploration Network (Fox DEN) with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to identify novel drug targets driving disease progression and treating the unmet medical needs that come from these discoveries.