imaware Review: A Worthy Investment?

Overview

1. Products: At-home capillary blood testing, microarray testing, biomarker analysis
2. Cost: $69-$299 per testing kit
3. Reports: Men’s health, Women’s health, Immune health, Heart health, Allergies, Diabetes, COVID-19
4. Raw data access: Yes
5. Privacy: iamaware claims to be HIPAA and CLIA compliant. They also state that any and all health data will not be sold or given to any third party without the consent of the customers.
6. Alternatives: SelfDecode – A yearly subscription for less than $100 gets you access to over 30 DNA wellness reports. A subscription with SelfDecode also grants access to LabTestAnalyzer, a specialized lab marker analysis tool.

Pros

• Wide variety of tests
• Unique lancet tool for capillary blood testing allows for easier sample collection
• Physician review of samples

Cons

• No analysis of SNPs or genetic variants
• No symptoms analyzer
• Not many recommendations
• Price- tests can be up to $300 each

About imaware

imaware, a platform offered by Microdrop LLC, was founded in 2018 by Jani Tuomi

imaware’s mission is to “to reduce the number of individuals with undiagnosed illness through at-home screening. Utilizing small-volume sample collection, and microarray lab-testing equipment with high sensitivity and specificity, imaware™ provides consumers reports and insights”.

The company is based out of Houston, Texas. To date, imaware and Microdrop LLC have not received any publicly disclosed funding.

Review of imaware Products & Features

imaware uses at-home capillary blood testing, microarray testing (conducting multiple lab tests at the same time), and biomarker analysis for users to get insights about their blood. The tests are conducted with lancets that are used to collect blood samples from a fingertip.

imaware states that capillary blood testing is less invasive and requires less blood than standard blood testing and is proven to be effective for disease analysis. They also claim that almost all of their tests measure multiple biomarkers that customers can use to gain perspective on their overall health.

Each at-home test must be activated on the imaware website, and users must send their sample to the company to view their report generated for each test. The results and reports will be available online within 7 days.

imaware offers 16 different tests encompassing six main testing categories:

• Men’s Health
  • Prostate Cancer Screening
  • Testosterone Monitoring Test
  • Men’s Health and Wellness Test (Tests 13 biomarkers important for men’s health)
• Women’s Health
  • Thyroid Screening Test
  • Women’s Health and Wellness Test (Tests 12 biomarkers important for women’s health)
• Heart Health
  • Vascular Inflammation Test
  • Lipoprotein(a) Health Test
  • Baseline Heart Health Test
• Immune Health
  • Immune Defense Test
  • Vitamin D Monitoring Test
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis Test
  • Celiac Disease Monitoring Test
  • Celiac Disease Screening Test
• Allergy
  • Food and Respiratory Allergy Test
• Diabetes
  • Haptoglobin Genetic Test
  • Prediabetes/Diabetes Screening Test

These tests range from $69 to $299 for each. They do not offer bundles or other bulk sale prices.

Review of imaware Reports

With the purchase and activation of each kit after sample collection, a report will be generated for each test. The reports will differ based on the type of test that was performed. For example, the men’s and women’s health and wellness tests are longer, since they test for a wider range of biomarkers.

That being said, the reports follow a similar structure of starting with a welcome section that introduces the topic and the medical advisory team. Next, a summary box, the biomarkers tested, and the patient specific considerations are shown, as seen below in the sample report for the cardiovascular health test.

After the overview, more scientific validation, including charts and graphs are included. Each report will include these breakdowns for each specific result. For example, the Celiac Disease Screening test report includes a results table, and a detailed breakdown of the tests that were performed on the blood sample.

Each report is culminated with an additional information section that includes all of the scientific references, lab information, and the test limitations. Below is an example of this section from the allergy sample report.

Each report is quite detailed, and very precise. The reports do not give health recommendations, and only ask the reader to consult with their doctor. As mentioned above, each report includes an extensive scientific reference list, but they are not embedded within the report for better reader accessibility and understanding.

Overall, the reports do a good job of visualizing the test results and color-coding of results. There is a significant amount of information included in the body of the report, but the main limitations are the lack of embedded scientific references and health recommendations.

Cost of imaware

imaware testing kits range from $69-$299 per kit. The kits are not sold in any bulk packages for a discounted price. Included in the price of each kit is access to the unique report, the lancet tool to get a blood sample, and a package to send the sample back to imaware.

The kits are typically not covered by insurance, but are advertised as eligible for HSA/FSA accounts. Unfortunately, there are no subscription options available at this time.

Health Recommendations from imaware

imaware does not make any health recommendations in their reports, and instead asks the reader to consult with their doctor for next steps.  

Review of imaware Privacy & Data Security

imaware claims that any personally identifiable information will not be sold or given away to any third party without the permission of the user. If users choose to share the information with a doctor for example, they can give specific permission for it to be shared to them.

The company also states that they take steps to securely store the information from their customers using encryption services, and their digital platform is HIPAA compliant.

SelfDecode vs imaware

1. SelfDecode delivers natural supplement, diet, and lifestyle suggestions based on your genes that you can implement right away. imaware does not make suggestions based on the samples customers provide.
2. SelfDecode tells you why they make each recommendation so that you can understand the science behind the suggestion. imaware has an extensive list of scientific references, but they are not embedded within reports.
3. SelfDecode prioritizes recommendations based on their analysis of all the relevant genes instead of one gene at a time (through reports). imaware asks users to discuss their results with a doctor.
4. SelfDecode takes a holistic approach to give recommendations that are best for your genes AND the health topic. imaware employs blood biomarker analysis and microarray testing focused on specific health topics.
5. SelfDecode is the most comprehensive and looks at more genes & SNPs (up to 83 million) and lab markers (over 500) to deliver the best analysis of genetic risks. imaware conducts comprehensive biomarker analysis using blood testing.
6. SelfDecode supports everything with peer-reviewed scientific studies in their research and checks for contradicting information. imaware lists all their scientific references at the end of their reports, and bases their reports off of these resources.
7. SelfDecode never sells your data or gives it away. imaware claims that they will not sell customer data to any third party without their permission.

Comparisons

imaware Reviews

Trustpilot – 172 customer reviews with an average rating of 4.6 of 5 stars

imaware customers rate the company positively. The customer service, convenience, speed of testing and result accuracy were reported as the top positive aspects of the company.

Some negative reviews included a difficulty receiving test results and complaints about the quality of the blood-drawing lancet tool. imaware representatives have responded to most of these negative reviews, and claim to be addressing these issues.

Facebook – 12 Reviews with an average rating of 5 of 5 stars

Facebook reviews for imaware are mostly positive. All users who reviewed the company left a positive rating and are especially fond of the celiac test.

Read what people are saying about imaware on Twitter

This Reddit discussion offers some insights about the reliability of the imaware tests and opinions about the service from anonymous users.

Alternatives to imaware

SelfDecode: For the best option of health-focused DNA analysis with personalized reports and recommendations, including specific lifestyle recommendations, and access to LabTestAnalyzer, all for under $100.

imaware Review Summary

imaware offers a wide range of easy-to-use, at-home blood tests. The tests are tailored to focus on specific health topics such as allergies, diabetes, and women’s health.

The company touts their non-invasive and convenient blood sampling method and insightful reports as an effective way of achieving their company mission of providing customers actionable reports and insights about their health.

Customer reviews for the company are generally positive and users are impressed with their customer service and reports. The main drawback of imaware appears to be its pricing, with tests being $69-$299 each.

Overall, imaware delivers convenient at-home blood testing for customers who are interested in determining specific information related to precise health topics. Potential imaware customers who are looking for more affordable options without sacrificing quality should look into other alternatives before they potentially spend hundreds of dollars on imaware’s services.

Another point to consider is that imaware does not provide personalized health recommendations based on the test results. If you’re interested in taking back control of your health, other companies such as SelfDecode offers tailored advice based on your DNA and lab results. SelfDecode analyzes up to 83 million genetic variants and over 500 lab markers to give you a full picture of your health. 

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