Genetic Testing Consent

This document is the informed consent you give KnowYourGenes (“KYG”, operated by BFG Market Consult Private Limited) before we analyse your DNA. Consent is captured at two points:

• At checkout- by ticking “I have read and accept the Genetic Testing Consent” before payment.
• At kit registration - when you scan or enter your kit code in your KYG account before scheduling the reverse pickup, you re-confirm this consent specifically for the sample you have just collected.

Both points produce a timestamped record that is retained in your account. If you are buying for a minor or a dependent adult unable to consent themselves, the parent, legal guardian, or attorney-in-fact provides this consent on their behalf at both points.

1. What you are consenting to

By accepting this consent you confirm that:

• You are providing a biological sample (saliva or buccal swab) voluntarily and free of coercion.
• You authorise KnowYourGenes and its partner NABL-accredited laboratory to extract DNA from this sample, sequence it, and analyse it against the panel(s) of genes corresponding to the package you have purchased.
• You authorise KnowYourGenes to generate a written report from this analysis and deliver it to you over the email, WhatsApp, and account login you have provided.
• You authorise the de-identified storage of your sample at the partner lab for up to 60 days, and the storage of your raw genetic data (“VCF”) on KYG-controlled servers in India for as long as you maintain your account, unless you ask for it to be deleted.

2. What you understand

You confirm that you have read and understood the following:

• The genetic test is for informational and investigational purposes only. It is not a medical diagnosis.
• The report should be interpreted by a qualified healthcare professional. KnowYourGenes does not practise medicine.
• Genetic findings are probabilistic. They indicate predisposition, not certainty. The absence of a risk variant does not mean you are protected from the relevant condition.
• A report may reveal information that is unexpected, distressing, or that has implications for biological relatives (especially in cancer-risk and reproductive panels). You acknowledge this possibility and choose to proceed.
• Genetic information may have implications for life insurance or other matters in jurisdictions outside India. You have considered this before consenting.
• You have the option of pre-test and post-test counselling with a qualified genetic counsellor. For cancer-risk and reproductive panels, KYG strongly recommends both.
• Self-collection at home depends on you following the kit instructions carefully. A sample collected incorrectly may need to be re-given. Approximately 1 in 200 samples cannot be processed for reasons outside our control.

3. What KnowYourGenes will not do

KnowYourGenes will not:

• Perform pre-natal sex determination of a foetus. This is prohibited under the PCPNDT Act, 1994, and KYG will not process any request that breaches this law.
• Sell or share your genetic data with insurers, lenders, or advertisers.
• Use your genetic data to train any third-party AI / ML model.
• Use your genetic data for research without your separate, opt-in consent (see clause 5).
• Disclose your report to any third party (including a spouse, parent of an adult, or employer) without your explicit written authorisation, except where compelled by a court order or applicable law.

4. Risks and limitations

You acknowledge that:

• A small fraction of samples (around 1 in 200) fail at the extraction or sequencing step and require re-collection.
• The genes analysed are limited to the panel of your purchased package. The test does not screen for all known genetic conditions.
• Variants of uncertain significance (“VUS”) may be reported. A VUS means the evidence is currently inconclusive and may be reclassified in the future as more research accumulates.
• Variants associated with serious adult-onset conditions (some cancer-risk and cardiac variants) carry implications for biological relatives. KYG cannot contact your relatives on your behalf.
• The report is based on the scientific evidence current at the time of issue. Future re-analysis is available on request, subject to fees in force at that time.

5. Optional - research participation (separate opt-in)

You may, separately and entirely at your option, consent to your de-identified genetic data and self-reported phenotype information being included in research datasets that KYG or its academic partners may use to improve genetic interpretation for Indian populations.

Research consent is independent of the test purchase. You can withdraw research consent at any time from your account, and your data will be removed from any future dataset; data already included in a closed dataset cannot retroactively be removed but will remain de-identified.

6. Withdrawal of consent

You may withdraw consent for the storage of your genetic data, or for any specific use of it, at any time, by writing to privacy@knowyourgenes.inor from “Privacy” in your account settings.

• Withdrawal of storage consent: your raw genetic data and report are deleted within 60 days. Statutory minimums (invoice records, audit logs) are retained.
• Withdrawal of consent during processing: if your sample is already at the lab, processing will be halted where technically possible. Fees for work already performed may not be refundable; see Refund Policy.
• Withdrawal does not affect lawful processing already completed before withdrawal.

7. Confirmation

By ticking “I have read and accept the Genetic Testing Consent” at checkout and by re-confirming at kit registration, you confirm:

• I have read and understood this consent.
• I have had the opportunity to ask questions and they have been answered to my satisfaction.
• I am freely consenting to the test and to the use of my sample and data as described above.
• I am the patient, or I am the parent / legal guardian / authorised representative of the patient and entitled to provide consent on their behalf.

8. Contact

BFG Market Consult Private Limited (operating the KnowYourGenes brand)
SU 18, Pitam Pura, Delhi 110034, India
CIN: U74999DL2010PTC207582
Email: privacy@knowyourgenes.in / care@knowyourgenes.in
Phone: +91 11 4000 0000(Mon–Sat, 09:00–19:00 IST)