California-based personal genetics company 23andMe plans to sell its customers' data to biotech company Genentech that will use the info to develop a drug for Parkinson's disease.

This condition with no available cure affects some one million individuals in the United States.

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The company co-founded by Anne Wojcicki, wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, will contribute the genome sequencing and data from its Parkinson's disease community. Genentech, a unit of Roche Holding AG, will work to identify potential therapeutics based on that information.

23andMe's first deal with Genentech costs US$10 million. Afterwards, 23andMe may receive up to US$50 million from Genentech for other projects. This deal is only the first of 10 that 23andMe says are in the works.

Customers of 23andMe can sign a consent form if they agree to make their data available for potential third-party use. According to Wojcicki, about 85 percent to 90 percent of customers signed the form.

Under the agreement between the two companies, 23andMe will make its databases available for scientific research and make it available to other Parkinson's researchers after its multi-year deal ends.

The company said the data will be "de-identified" and contributed only by individuals who provide explicit permission to 23andMe.

Furthermore, 23andMe sells cheap spit kits to individuals who want their genes read without a doctor's order and at a lower price.

Tags23andMe, Genentech, DNA, genome, Parkinson's disease, genome sequencing