Quest Diagnostics is launching a new pharmacogenomics program designed to decode patients’ DNA to predict how they will respond to certain therapies and doses. The company said its test will span drugs used across psychiatry, neurology, cardiology, oncology, rheumatology and pain management, as well as for transplant recipients.
To provide the reports, the lab testing giant is partnering with InformedDNA and its Coriell Life Sciences precision health unit, which the genetic counseling provider acquired earlier this year.
Quest said its single test will scan 17 genes as well as four sets of alleles linked to the immune system, all tied to evidence of gene-drug associations, with the goal of avoiding treatment failures and unwanted side effects.
“Healthcare providers recognize the crucial, yet often complex, role that genetics can play in drug response. This impact may be heightened when polypharmacy is part of the treatment equation,” said Steven Keiles, general manager of Quest’s U.S. specialty genetics and genomics services.
“Our goal for this PGx offering from Quest Diagnostics and Coriell Life Sciences is to help providers more efficiently leverage genetic insights to help guide prescription decisions and decrease trial-and-error while improving outcomes,” Keiles said in a statement.
The delivered results will list the patient’s genotypes and predicted phenotype responses and can also link to personalized medication recommendations offered by Coriell—which also plans to provide access to its GeneDose LIVE clinical decision support tool to comb through and analyze the patient’s current drug regimen.
“Our reporting translates complex genetic data into clear guidance on which medications are most likely to be for each patient,” said Jeffrey Shaman, Ph.D., InformedDNA’s vice president of medical affairs. “Together, we're giving providers the tools they need to deliver truly individualized care that improves treatment success and optimizes initial medication choices.”