Dr. Jerry Kolins is a medical director at Palomar Pomerado Health, which plans to sell personal DNA test kits starting April 27. | Photo by Stephen Whalen

Until recently, consumers interested in a closer look at their genetic makeup had limited options: purchase a genetic test kit online or participate in a clinical trial offering the test.

A new partnership forged between San Diego’s largest health care district, Palomar Pomerado Health, and Mountain View-based genetics testing company 23andMe will make test kits available over-the-counter for the first time. Beginning April 27, PPH ExpressCare locations in Escondido and Rancho Penasquitos and Palomar Pomerado Hospital in Poway plan to sell the kits for $399.

Orlando Portale, chief technology officer for PPH, called the new offering part of a move toward personalized medicine, or the structuring of treatments and other medical care based on an individual’s unique characteristics.

“Now armed with an individual’s genetic profile, we could look at things in a much more individual way,” he said.

Eventually, with a patient’s permission, Portale said medical researchers could evaluate the data and pinpoint various health concerns, such as a high rate of diabetes among Latinos. The health care district could better tailor its services to meet those needs, he said.

“We see that this genetic profile is just another set of data that would go along with the traditional laboratory results we currently have,” Portale said.

The collaboration between PPH and 23andMe marks the first time a major genetic testing company and a hospital district have joined hands to offer over-the-counter testing to the general public.

Using a spit sample or a cheek swab, the genetic tests offer a glimpse of an individual’s genetic information, including ancestry, disease susceptibility and more than 100 traits.

While scientists ultimately aim to profile an individual’s entire genetic library, companies like 23andMe offer snippets of genetic information such as whether a person might be susceptible for baldness, blood clots or Parkinson’s disease. Understanding the slight genetic differences between one person and another helps explain drug response and could guide researchers in designing more personalized treatments.

“We’re trying to demystify genetics and make it something people can understand,” said Linda Avey, co-founder of the Google-backed 23andMe.

Avey, a former Poway resident, said a study launched in October by the Scripps Translational Science Institute helped plant the idea of collaborating with a major health care provider.

The 20-year Scripps behavioral trial, which aims to study 10,000 individuals to find out whether participating in genetic testing motivates healthy behaviors, is co-sponsored by 23andMe competitor Navigenics. The trial has already enrolled 3,400 people, according to Scripps Health spokesman Steve Carpowich.

Avey said 23andMe, which has a research arm, ultimately hopes to incorporate data into easy-to-understand findings that benefit participants.