Your ferritin keeps climbing and no one has explained why. The answer may be a gene that tells your body to absorb more iron than it can safely use — and knowing changes everything.
Whole genome sequencing identifies HFE variants causing hereditary hemochromatosis — enabling early intervention through simple phlebotomy before iron overload causes organ damage.
Hereditary Hemochromatosis
Hereditary hemochromatosis is an autosomal recessive disorder of iron metabolism caused by variants in the HFE gene, which encodes a protein regulating hepcidin, the master iron-controlling hormone. The condition leads to excessive intestinal iron absorption, allowing iron to accumulate pathologically in the heart, liver, joints, and pituitary gland. When diagnosed and treated before organ damage develops, prognosis is excellent with normal life expectancy; when diagnosed late, irreversible end-organ damage including cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, cardiomyopathy, and diabetes can result.
Hereditary hemochromatosis is the most prevalent inherited metabolic disorder in people of Northern European descent, affecting approximately 1 in 200. The predominant variants are C282Y (accounting for 80–90% of cases) and H63D. Clinical penetrance is strikingly sex-skewed: approximately 28% of C282Y homozygous males develop overt disease (typically after age 40), while only approximately 1% of homozygous females develop symptoms due to protective iron loss through menstruation. Age of symptom onset is typically in the fourth to sixth decade in men and post-menopausal in women.
Understanding HFE status has profound implications for individual and family health. A confirmed homozygous C282Y diagnosis triggers therapeutic phlebotomy — the removal of 500 mL of blood weekly until iron levels normalize — a treatment that prevents cirrhosis, reverses early fibrosis, and normalizes cardiac and endocrine function when started before advanced organ damage. Because hemochromatosis follows autosomal recessive inheritance, identification of a proband enables cascade screening of first-degree relatives (25% recurrence risk per sibling), identifying presymptomatic carriers who can begin preventive management before their first symptoms appear.
HFE variants vary in severity: C282Y homozygotes carry the highest disease risk, while compound heterozygotes (C282Y/H63D) have intermediate phenotypes with variable penetrance.
Standard hemochromatosis panels test two variants. They miss 10-15% of cases caused by other iron metabolism genes.
The gene causing iron overload may not be on the screening panel
Standard hemochromatosis screening tests only the two most common variants, C282Y and H63D. However, approximately 10-15% of hemochromatosis cases result from variants in other genes, particularly non-HFE juvenile hemochromatosis caused by HJV (hemojuvelin) variants, which present in early adulthood and can rapidly progress to cirrhosis. HAMP (encoding hepcidin), TFR2, and FTL variants account for some cases. Whole genome sequencing captures all HFE variants alongside other iron metabolism genes, providing comprehensive detection beyond the two-variant standard panel.
Identifying iron overload risk changes management completely
A confirmed C282Y homozygous diagnosis initiates therapeutic phlebotomy — the removal of 500 mL of blood weekly until iron stores normalize. This deceptively simple treatment is remarkably effective: it prevents or reverses early liver fibrosis, prevents diabetes progression, normalizes cardiac function, and restores endocrine health when started before advanced organ damage occurs. Equally important, genetic confirmation enables cascade screening of first-degree relatives, identifying presymptomatic carriers who can begin preventive phlebotomy years before symptoms develop, preventing the disease entirely.
Your full DNA (not just a part of it)
Traditional genetic testing looks at narrow sets of genes, missing most parts of your genome. We sequence your full genome — every gene and every region between genes.
Comprehensive insights and specialized reports
Easy to read and with answers you and your doctor can act on. Not a file to interpret — 200+ clinical reports, organized by category.
Your test becomes more valuable every year
Your DNA does not change, but genome science is accelerating. Every month, new variant-disease associations are discovered. We validate these findings and update your reports automatically. Your test becomes more valuable every year.
The results doctors bring to their hardest cases.
Forty years of uncertainty. One test.
A patient had spent decades in the UK healthcare system without a diagnosis. Dante data, accepted by NHS clinical teams at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow, identified Noonan Syndrome and a RUNX1 leukemia-associated variant that had gone undetected. After 40 years, they finally had an answer.
A complete read delivers a complete picture.
A patient came to Dante to investigate periodic paralysis. Reading the complete genome identified a concurrent hereditary cardiac finding — Brugada syndrome — that their doctor confirmed with an ECG. The result also explained a family member's unresolved cardiac history. One test. Every answer in it.
Sequenced in 2019. The data worked in 2021.
Jennifer sequenced her genome with Dante two years before her breast cancer diagnosis. When treatment began, Dante's pharmacogenomics data showed her prescribed chemotherapy would cause serious adverse effects. Her doctor selected an alternative — and she started effective treatment from day one.
Every genetic question deserves a complete answer.
Whether you are searching for answers today or protecting your health for tomorrow, a complete read of your entire genome is the only place to start.
It runs in your family. Now you can know if it runs in your genes.
Your genome contains inherited variants associated with medical conditions like cardiac, cancer, and neurological. We read all of them — with the clinical depth to give the result meaning.
Learn more →When traditional lab tests say you're fine. And you know you're not.
Standard diagnostic tests check for a pre-selected set of answers. We sequence your full DNA — including parts that no test was designed to check. If the answer is in your genome, we will help you find it.
Learn more →Your diagnosis may be right. Your treatment plan may be incomplete.
Your genes determine which treatments are most likely to work — and which are not. We give your doctor the tools and insights to inform your treatment plan.
Learn more →You want to know before something forces the question.
Some people don't wait for a diagnosis or a family history to act. Whole genome sequencing gives you the complete genetic picture now — so you and your doctor can make informed decisions before anything becomes urgent.
Learn more →You already took a DNA test. Here's what it couldn't tell you.
Most consumer DNA tests read less than 0.1% of your genome. We read all of it.
Learn more →Clinical-grade results. Chosen by individuals, trusted by doctors for their most complex cases.
Dante Genome Test helped specialists at a UK national acute hospital in the identification of Noonan Syndrome and a rare leukemia-associated genetic variant that had gone undetected. That result changed the medical care of the patient.
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Common questions about whole genome sequencing.
What is the difference between whole genome sequencing and a targeted genetic test?
Targeted genetic tests — including standard hereditary cancer panels — read a pre-defined list of known variants in a specific set of genes. They are designed to find what they already know to look for. Whole genome sequencing reads your entire genome: all 6 billion base pairs, every gene, every region between genes. A Mayo Clinic study published in JAMA Oncology found that standard testing guidelines missed more than half of patients with inherited cancer mutations. Genome Test does not have a fixed list.
What will I receive when my results are ready?
Your Dante Genome delivers 200+ physician-ready reports organized by clinical category — hereditary cancer, cardiac conditions, rare diseases, pharmacogenomics, carrier status, and more. Reports are delivered to your secure Genome Manager and are formatted for direct clinical use. Your genome data is permanently retained and re-analyzed automatically as science advances.
What happens if a clinically significant variant is found?
If a pathogenic or likely-pathogenic variant is identified, it will be clearly flagged in your physician-ready report with clinical context, published evidence, and recommended next steps. We recommend sharing any clinically significant finding with your physician or a genetic counselor, who can guide decisions about surveillance, risk reduction, or cascade testing for family members.
How is this different from a consumer DNA test like 23andMe or AncestryDNA?
Consumer DNA tests use genotyping chips that read less than 0.1% of your genome — a tiny pre-selected set of common variants. They are optimized for ancestry and population-level traits, not clinical genetic findings. The Dante Genome Test sequences 100% of your genome at 30X coverage, the same standard used in clinical diagnostic settings. The two tests are not comparable in scope, methodology, or clinical utility.
How long does it take to get results, and how are they delivered?
Your collection kit ships within 48 hours of ordering. Once your sample arrives at our CLIA-certified laboratory, sequencing and analysis takes 6–8 weeks. Results are delivered securely to your Genome Manager, where you can access your reports, share them with your physician, and receive automatic updates as new findings are validated against your genome.
We work with patient advocacy groups worldwide.
Dante Labs works with patient advocacy groups of any size — for Hereditary Hemochromatosis and other conditions, rare and common. We support groups in any country, including virtual patient advocacy groups.
We can provide customized reports, group discounts, and packages tailored for your members. Please reach out using the form and we'll be in touch within two business days.
- Custom genomic reports for your members
- Group discounts and tailored packages
- Any country — including virtual groups
- Rare and common conditions covered
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One test.
A lifetime of answers.
One kit, sent to your home. Your entire genome sequenced at the clinical standard used for diagnostic decisions. 200+ physician-ready reports delivered to your Genome Manager in 6–8 weeks — permanent and updated as science advances.
Ships within 48 hours · Results in 6–8 weeks
