Being married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, the 26th richest person in the world, has its advantages as Anne Wojcicki, Brin's wife and co-founder of privately-held biotech startup company 23andMe Inc discoverd when her firm received an investment of $2.6 million from the world's biggest internet company yesterday.

The investment was revealed by Google in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, saying it invested $2.6 million in a Series B preferred stock in Mountain View, California-based 23andMe.

The $2.6-million investment made by Google is over and above the $3.9 million made by the internet giant in 23andMe in May 2007, shortly after Brin and Wojcicki were married and was followed by an additional $0.50 million investment in November 2007.

Google said in the filing that it continued to hold a minority interest in 23andMe as a result of the latest Series B investment, and Brin, who had personally invested $10 million in his wife's company, has converted the $10 million worth of 23andMe debt into preferred company stock as part of the transaction.

Incidentally, Brin, who is Google's president, technology,  holds 38 per cent of Google class B common stock..

Google has also become 23andMe's landlord from this month after entering into a lease agreement with 23andMe. In its filing, the internet giant said that Google's Audit Committee reviewed and approved the investment and lease transactions as part of Google's procedures for entering into transactions with related parties.

It added that the terms and conditions of the lease with 23andMe were reviewed by an independent real estate appraiser. As part of its decision-making process, the Audit Committee was advised by an independent counsel.

Google's initial investment of $3.9 million in 23andMe in 2007 had generated controversy since shareholders felt that there was a conflict of interest and the company should keep a distinction between private and corporate investments.

Moscow-born Brin had said last year that he decided to invest further in the company after undergoing a test handled by 23andMe revealed that he was genetically predisposed to Parkinson's Disease, a condition that has drastically affected the life of his mother since she was diagnosed 10 years ago.

23andMe, Inc. is a privately-held company, which helps individuals understand their own genetic information using recent advances in DNA analysis technologies and web-based interactive tools for a fee.

23andMe enables individuals to gain deeper insights into personal ancestry, genealogy and inherited traits.

The name 23andMe refers to the 23 pairs of chromosomes that make up each individual's genome. 23andMe connects individuals to their unique, paired set of 23 chromosomes.