Multi-omics self-tracking
What is multi-omics self-tracking?
Multi-omics self-tracking means measuring your own body far beyond a yearly checkup: genome sequencing, repeated blood tests of proteins, metabolites and immune markers, microbiome samples, and constant data from wearables such as smartwatches and glucose monitors. The aim is to spot changes from your own baseline early. Studies find many surprises, but none shows longer or healthier life.
Listed here because well-known people have tried it on themselves. Trying something is not recommending it; each entry says whether the person tells others to do it.
Who has tried it
Tried by 2 people we can source: 2 kept.
Kept
Michael SnyderGeneticist at Stanford
Started 2010 · Recommends it to others
Has tracked his own molecules and wearables since about 2010 and caught his own Lyme disease early from a drop in blood oxygen; he wears six to eight devices, gets whole-body MRIs every three months, and argues that personal tracking is the future of health. His lab spun out a home-testing company.
“In my case, it started with Lyme disease. I picked it up presymptomatically because my blood oxygen dropped.”
Lifespan.io, Michael Snyder: We need to track health, not disease (August 2026) · Status checked August 28, 2026 · Suggest a correction
Bryan JohnsonEntrepreneur, founder of BlueprintBlueprint (Bryan Johnson)
Dates not stated · Recommends it to others
Calls himself the most biologically measured person ever, and tells readers to measure their own biomarkers, listing blood draws every 3 to 6 months, yearly whole-body MRI after 40 and glucose monitoring, with tests his company sells.
“I am certainly the most biologically measured person ever.”
Bryan Johnson, Bryan's Protocol (checked November 2026) · Status checked November 1, 2026 · Suggest a correction
What the evidence shows
The idea started with one person. Michael Snyder's lab profiled his genome, gene activity, proteins, metabolites and antibodies over 14 months and saw signs of type 2 diabetes emerge after a viral infection [1]. In a later cohort of 109 people sampled every quarter for a median 2.8 years, deep profiling produced more than 67 clinically actionable discoveries, and most participants changed their diet or exercise [2]. Wearables in 43 people flagged early signs of Lyme disease and inflammation and told insulin-resistant people apart from insulin-sensitive ones [3].
A commercial version, built on data clouds of 108 people over 9 months, found that coaching based on the data improved clinical biomarkers [4]; the company that ran it closed in 2019. None of these studies had a control group, so it is unknown whether finding things early led to better health than standard care would have.
More measurement also finds more things that turn out to be harmless. In whole-body MRI screening of healthy people, about a third had an incidental finding, and about 16% of findings were false positives [5]. Each one can bring more tests, worry and cost. No trial has tested whether deep self-tracking extends life or prevents disease.
Safety
- Most incidental findings are harmless, but each can lead to follow-up scans, biopsies, worry and cost.
- Many consumer tests are not validated for diagnosis, and reference ranges for healthy people are often missing.
- Genome and health data are sensitive. Check who stores them, who can see them and whether they can be sold.
- Use findings to start a conversation with a clinician, not to self-diagnose or start treatment.
Common questions
What is the Snyderome?
The nickname for Michael Snyder's own multi-omics profile. His lab measured his genome and thousands of molecules in his blood over 14 months and watched type 2 diabetes emerge after a viral infection [1].
Does Michael Snyder still track himself?
Yes. In August 2026 he said he wears six to eight devices at once and gets a whole-body MRI every three months, while saying that may be overkill and that most people would wear one or two.
Does deep health tracking help you live longer?
Is a whole-body MRI worth it?
In healthy people, about a third of scans find something unexpected, and many findings are false alarms [5]. Medical societies do not recommend it as routine screening.
Sources
- 1.Chen R, Mias GI, Li-Pook-Than J, et al. Personal omics profiling reveals dynamic molecular and medical phenotypes. Cell, 2012. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2012.02.009
- 2.Schüssler-Fiorenza Rose SM, Contrepois K, Moneghetti KJ, et al. A longitudinal big data approach for precision health. Nat Med, 2019. doi:10.1038/s41591-019-0414-6
- 3.Li X, Dunn J, Salins D, et al. Digital Health: Tracking Physiomes and Activity Using Wearable Biosensors Reveals Useful Health-Related Information. PLoS Biol, 2017. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2001402
- 4.Price ND, Magis AT, Earls JC, et al. A wellness study of 108 individuals using personal, dense, dynamic data clouds. Nat Biotechnol, 2017. doi:10.1038/nbt.3870
- 5.Kwee RM, Kwee TC. Whole-body MRI for preventive health screening: A systematic review of the literature. J Magn Reson Imaging, 2019. doi:10.1002/jmri.26736