We recommend to browse this website using Google Chrome or Firefox for a better experience.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked, Thoroughly Answered

General Enquiriess

Deoxyribonucleic Acid, or DNA, is a chemical code that tells every cell in your body what to do. It is made up of four bases, or coded letters: Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Cytosine (C), and Guanine (G).

It determines simple things like the colour of your eyes, to issues as complex as whether you’re prone to developing certain types of health conditions. Your DNA stores this information in the form of a very long code that arranges the four bases in countless combinations, which can look something like this:

TTT CAC AGC GGA GCT

This is why your DNA makes you completely unique. Each code may only use four letters, but nobody else’s genes will ever share the same combinations as yours (except identical twins!).

Genetic screening is a way of looking at your gene composition to understand the likelihood of you developing specific physical traits. We perform this in a non-diagnostic fashion, looking only at traits that are related to wellness.

We investigate your DNA at very specific locations for codes that have been studied and shown to affect each physical trait we are looking at.

99.9% of the human genome is identical. This explains why everybody has hair, two eyes, a nose, and so on. The 0.1% variation is what makes you unique, and analysing the patterns within this tiny percentage allows us to determine your genetic predispositions.

Understanding your genetic profile gives you the knowledge you need to make pro-active, informed lifestyle decisions that will suit you the best. Your DNA makes you one of a kind, so it only follows that your lifestyle should take this into account to be effective.

Saliva samples are convenient, painless, non-invasive and allow us to obtain sufficient quantities of DNA for analysis.

Test Kits / Labs

Genetic screening is non-diagnostic, which means that it simply screens for genetic markers that could potentially affect overall wellness. On the other hand, diagnostic testing is what doctors use to confirm the presence or absence of specific diseases.

Our three tests are specifically designed to search for genetic markers that affect your skin, fitness, and nutrition respectively. The genes that our tests target have been chosen based on published literature of numerous genetic studies.

OriSKIN tests for 10 key traits that affect your skin’s condition such as skin elasticity, predisposition to premature wrinkling, pigmentation, and sensitivity.
OriVIT looks for 30 nutrition-oriented traits that concern areas like gluten sensitivity and how well your body processes key nutrients.
OriFIT screens for 15 key markers that influence fitness, including how easily your muscles repair themselves, or whether your body is naturally more inclined to aerobic exercise.

All it means is that you are more prone to certain wellness conditions than others, and may need to take more care to stay healthy and free of those conditions. Your genes are not the only contributing factor – your lifestyle choices and your environment play big parts as well.

Remember, genetic screening is not diagnostic. It does not confirm the presence or absence of diseases in your body.

If your reports indicate that you have absolutely no genetic predispositions to any specific conditions, then congratulations! Keep making good lifestyle choices. Our recommendations will help you stay in the pink of health.

If they do indicate that you may need to put in a little extra effort to keeping yourself healthy, we strongly urge you to use the recommendations in your report. They’re tailored specially for you, and will guide you to the optimised health and wellness you deserve. We also have a list of partners that offer services like personal training and nutrition plans to help you redesign your lifestyle.

Our recommendations are based on the current state of research and technology available. Scientists are continuously discovering new ways in which our genes work. The odds of your genotype changing are very, very low. This usually only happens in very specific environments, like nuclear test sites with extreme levels of toxic radiation. This means that you only need to be tested once in your life, and we think the sooner, the better.

Once your sample reaches our in-house laboratory, your DNA is extracted and processed using Illumina’s Infinum HTS Assay, before undergoing BeadChip imaging in iScan. We then use GenomeStudio genotyping software to analyse and cross-reference the variants in your genetic code against our extensive database, which is constantly evolving and updated by our genetic scientists and computational experts.

Your privacy is of utmost importance to us. Once processed, your sample is safely stored in our secure facility. We keep your samples completely confidential and do not distribute them unless you have specifically opted to volunteer your data for research purposes. All procedures and processes regarding the handling of your samples and personal data is in accordance with the Singapore Human Biomedical Research Act.

You may edit your personal information online via your web account, and it is protected by multiple layers of encryption and security protocols. For more information, please read our Privacy Policy.

Since our tests are not clinical or diagnostic in nature, they will not affect your insurance coverage.

Customer Care

Your results will be available to view online 2 to 3 weeks after returning your completed test kit.

You will be notified by email when they are ready. This notification will be sent to the email address you provided us with when you made your Ori account, so make sure you give us the right one!

Certainly. You will be able to enter separate billing and shipping addresses when purchasing.

Our tests are suitable for any age group, so you can order a test for your children, spouse, friends, and family. Please refer to our privacy protocol in our Terms & Conditions.

Our platform currently limits each email account to only one genetic profile. We are working to evolve and improve our site. Until then, you will need to make separate accounts for individual profiles.