How to get your DNA data

Telos analyzes a whole-genome VCF: a .vcf file, or its compressed form .vcf.gz. VCF is the standard format labs use to list the places your genome differs from the reference, and it’s everything Telos needs to build your report. You don’t have to prepare or convert anything — just upload the file the lab gives you.

sequencing.com sequences your whole genome and lets you download the VCF in a click. Their privacy terms are among the best in the field: you own your data, they don’t sell or share it, and you can delete it whenever you want.

1. 1Order the whole-genome test. Choose their standard whole-genome sequencing kit (the “Ultimate DNA Test” / genome kit). The base test is all you need — no premium tier or extra report bundles. It runs around $400 at list price, and they discount it often, so it’s worth waiting for a sale.
2. 2Send your sample and wait. You’ll get a saliva kit in the mail. Send it back, and results come in a few weeks.
3. 3Download your VCF. When it’s ready, sign in and open “My Files”. You’ll see several files — the one you want is the whole-genome VCF, named something like snp-indel.genome.vcf.gz. Grab just that one. You can ignore the rest: the .cnv.vcf.gz and .sv.vcf.gz files cover copy-number and structural variants Telos doesn’t read, and the two .fq.gz raw-read files are enormous, take a day or two to prepare, and aren’t needed. Your VCF downloads instantly.
4. 4Upload it to Telos. On the import page, upload that .vcf.gz. Whole-genome files are large, and that’s fine — Telos sends them straight to secure storage and analyzes them in the background, so you can close the tab and come back.

• Dante Labs

  30× whole-genome sequencing with the VCF included. Often the cheapest option during their periodic flash sales (sometimes around $180).

  Worth knowing: Their download links expire quickly — within about a minute of being generated — so start the download the moment you click. A little fiddly for less technical family.

• DNA Complete (Nebula Genomics)

  The successor to Nebula’s consumer test. Whole-genome VCF included, from roughly $195 (light coverage) up to about $495 (30×).

  Worth knowing: Turnaround runs longer (8–12 weeks), and its parent company had a 2025 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing — one more reason to download your file and keep your own copy rather than leaning on them for long-term storage.

One note in case you go looking: Nebula Genomics’ own direct-to-consumer test shut down in early 2025, so it’s no longer an option on its own — DNA Complete is where it continued. Prices above are rough and move around; check the current figure before you buy.

HIPAA protects health data held by doctors and insurers. When you buy a DNA test directly as a consumer, you usually aren’t the patient of anyone HIPAA covers — so, strictly, HIPAA doesn’t govern that data at all. When a testing company advertises “HIPAA-compliant,” they generally mean their labs and systems are certified to that standard. That’s good hygiene, but it isn’t the same as the law protecting your purchase. What actually protects you is the company’s own privacy promise, plus two laws worth knowing:

• GINA bars health insurers and most employers (15+ people) from using your genetic results against you — but it does not cover life, disability, or long-term-care insurance. Those can still ask.
• State genetic-privacy laws vary, and some (California’s, for instance) go further than the federal floor.

Why this matters in practice: when 23andMe filed for bankruptcy in 2025, the genetic data of more than 15 million people became a company asset that could be sold. The safest habit, whatever service you choose:

• Sign up with a dedicated email and share the minimum personal detail the service allows.
• Download your VCF as soon as it’s ready, and keep your own encrypted copy.
• Then delete your data from the provider — don’t leave it sitting as someone’s future asset.
• Skip the optional “contribute to research” consent and the DNA-matching databases (GEDmatch, family-matching) unless you’ve thought it through — that’s a separate, bigger decision than sequencing itself.