Bankrupt genetic analysis company 23andMe said it will conduct a second auction for its DNA data cache, with an opening bid of $305 million from former CEO Anne Wojcicki, Bloomberg reported.
23andMe built its fame by providing medical and ancestry-related genetic testing to over 15 million customers. It has nearly 5,50,000 subscribers, but filed for bankruptcy saying this was not enough to keep the business afloat, the report added.
Why a second auction by 23andMe?
Notably, this new offer is around $50 million higher than the last bid (which was $256 million) won by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in May 2025. The result of that auction, conducted over three days, was challenged by Wojcicki, who argued that bidding was unfairly closed to favor Regeneron.
This auction comes as a compromise between the three parties, after Wojcicki, Regeneron and 23andMe attended a hearing in the matter at a federal court in St Louis on June 4, as per the publication.
23andMe selling DNA data — Court hearing details
Hearing the case, US Bankruptcy Judge Brian Walsh asked Regeneron and 23andMe to justify the limits they wanted to set for the second auction process.
Customers, officials raise alarm over data protection
Amid the bankruptcy and auction news, a host of 23andMe’s customers and government officials have raised an alarm over protection and security of the years of DNA data held by the company.
The business worked by collecting saliva samples from customers, which was used to extract DNA and then trace one’s ancestry or certain health-related genetic traits. The mail-back saliva test cost less than $200.
Both Regeneron and Wojcicki have pledged to comply with 23andMe’s privacy policy, based on which customers had submitted their samples. The policy allows customers to get their personal information deleted on request.
The pioneering company on March 23, 2025, said that it had “filed a voluntary petition for reorganisation” with a state bankruptcy court in Missouri, USA.
Notably, just months before 23andMe declared backruptcy, and tried to attact buyers, it was hit with a class-action lawsuit due to a 2023 data breach that gave hackers access to customer information. Settlement from those claims is also likely to be addressed during the bankruptcy process, the report said.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)