AncestryDNA® Research and Collaboration

At AncestryDNA®, part of our mission is to advance research related to the study of human genetics, genealogy, anthropology and health. We are continually looking for ways to give back to the community by harnessing the power of our products and services. Together, we can help move science forward in new ways.

The Ancestry Human Diversity Project

In support of our research mission, we offer our customers the opportunity to participate in research through the Ancestry Human Diversity Project. Your data, combined with data from over a million others, can help Researchers at Ancestry and other organizations make important discoveries to understand human history and migration, improve and learn more about human health, explore the connection between genetics and human traits, and develop new or improved diagnostic tools and therapies to treat diseases or other conditions. You can authorize us to use your data in the Project by agreeing to the Informed Consent which describes the Project in more detail, including the data collected and how it is used. To review or change your consent status, visit the DNA test settings page.

The Project research may be conducted by scientists from AncestryDNA®, academic institutions, government institutions, or for-profit or non-profit businesses. Here are some of our current research collaborations. We are proud of our work to date, and are continually evaluating new research opportunities that further our mission.

The Ancestry Human Diversity Project

Participation in annual genetics conferences
Our scientists participate annually in human genetics, population genetics, and computational biology conferences, such as the American Society of Human Genetics annual meeting, and regularly present research about population structure, demography, and migration patterns.

Calico Life Sciences LLC

Researching the genetics of human lifespan
For more information, see our press release


The Calico-Ancestry research agreement has concluded.

COVID-19 Research Study

As part of our commitment to the volunteers from our DNA network who consented to participate in Ancestry’s COVID-19 Research Study, we are working with qualified external researchers who are developing treatments, as well as vaccines or other preventative measures, for COVID-19.

  • Ancestry-approved researchers will be able to access de-identified data via the European Genome-Phenome Archive (EGA), an international data archive service that facilitates the sharing of data among scientific researchers.

  • As a member of the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative, we are sharing summary statistics — containing no personally identifiable information — with qualified researchers and organizations working to develop treatments or vaccines. Members of the initiative, which is based on the principle of collaboration without personal gain or ownership of results, may also access the de-identified data hosted at EGA when it becomes available.

  • The Regeneron Genetics Center (RGC), a world-leading organization studying genetic causes of and interventions for disease, will enhance their COVID-19 research efforts by accessing de-identified data from the study to accelerate understanding of the human genetic determinants of COVID-19 susceptibility, severity and outcomes. The RGC will make summary results derived from their research available to the global scientific community via their public research portal and through scientific publications, which will also include similar de-identified data from other large studies from around the world.

  • Several academic research institutes have requested to use the de-identified data generated by the study to advance the understanding of aspects of COVID-19.

Stanford University School of Medicine

Our scientists, in collaboration with scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine, are investigating genetic markers that may be informative for constructing polygenic risk scores and determining the response to certain therapeutics.

Researching migration patterns and genetic variation
Our scientists have collaborated with leading researchers at academic institutions around the globe, including the University of Utah, on research projects that investigate migration patterns and how genetic variation is shared among populations.

Other Collaborations

Other collaborations
In addition to the Ancestry Human Diversity Project, we have worked with the researchers at the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP)/Be the Match® to evaluate whether genetic ethnicity correlates with self-reported ethnicity in a group of stem-cell transplant donor-recipient pairs.

Research between NMDP and Ancestry has concluded.