Understanding DARWIN: How 3X4 turns genetics into personalised action

DARWIN is 3X4 Genetics' proprietary genetic scoring system and is the engine behind every 3X4 and GENEFIT report. It translates your DNA into clear, actionable insights about how your genes influence your health.

What are pathways, and why does 3X4 use them?

A pathway is a biological system made up of multiple genes working together to perform a specific function in your body.

Rather than analyzing each gene variant in isolation, DARWIN looks at the combined effect of multiple variants within specific biological pathways. This approach identifies where your genetics have the greatest impact and drives the personalized health, activity, and lifestyle recommendations in your report.

How does DARWIN work?

DARWIN combines evidence-based research with advanced modeling to translate individual genetic variants into pathway-level impact scores and personalized recommendations.

Evidence-based scoring

Experts review scientific literature and assign scores to each SNP and allele based on study quality, biochemical effect, pathway role, and clinical utility.

Classification and modeling

An unsupervised classification model assesses the cumulative effect of all variants within a pathway and assigns an overall impact score at the pathway level.

Interpretation and visualisation

Each pathway is assigned an impact level, such as low, medium, high, or very high, to identify which biological pathways to prioritise, or which sport performance pathways to focus on.

Actionable outputs

Pathway scores are translated into personalised diet, lifestyle, and performance recommendations based on your unique genetic results.

Why 3X4 built DARWIN

Most genetic scoring systems either focus on single SNPs in isolation or use blunt aggregate scores that lose meaningful detail. DARWIN was built to go further, producing evidence-weighted, pathway-specific scores that translate directly into personalized, actionable recommendations.

Want to learn more? See How your DNA sample is processed at our lab or visit the Our Science page on our website.