REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Navigenics, a personalized genetic health services company, today announced that it will develop a set of industry standards for consumer genomic testing services, and that it will seek broad, multi-stakeholder input and endorsement of these or similar criteria. Further, the company announced it will also support prospective health outcomes studies, involving leading medical centers and other partners, designed to examine the impact that consumer access to personal genetic information has on behaviors and health outcomes.
The Navigenics(TM) Health Compass service, officially launched today, uses genotyping, coupled with the latest research findings on genetic associations with an initial set of 18 common medical conditions, to provide a personalized genetic assessment to its members. The assessment comes with 24/7 access to a Genetic Counselor to help understand results, and is designed to be part of an ongoing process to help individuals and their professional health advisers apply the information to improve health. In addition, members have access to information on preventive measures and clinical research focused on avoiding or delaying the onset of these health conditions.
The company will present and solicit input on its proposed criteria from multiple stakeholders, among other subjects related to direct to consumer genetic testing, at a conference now being planned for later this year in collaboration with the Personalized Medicine Coalition.
“The Personalized Medicine Coalition looks forward to this conference to explore key issues including the development of standards regarding direct-to- consumer genetic testing,” says Edward Abrahams, Ph.D., executive director of the Personalized Medicine Coalition. “This type of service represents the public’s first major exposure to the significance of personalized medicine.”
Over time, as the science continues to evolve and expand, new conditions will be added and new findings relevant to the initial 18 conditions will be incorporated into member profiles to ensure they have the most accurate and up-to-date picture of their genetic predispositions and what they can do to optimize their health.
“Much has been said and written about the potential of putting personal genetic information in the hands of consumers,” says Dr. David Agus, Navigenics co-founder, board member and clinical advisory board chair. “We’re convinced we’ve developed a service that maximizes the potential for the latest genetic information to positively impact behavior and accurately inform health decisions -- and in the process improve health across the population, one person at a time.”
The company’s proposed standards for personal genomic services will include commitments to 10 specific criteria for performance, service and quality, including:
“The science is advancing at a rapid pace, and that’s very exciting not just for researchers, but for all of us who can ultimately benefit from the application of these findings,” says Dietrich Stephan, Ph.D., a genetic researcher and co-founder and chief science officer of Navigenics. “But with that advancement comes a serious responsibility to ensure the integrity of this critical step toward personalized health care. We know that if we don’t do it right, we could set things back quite a bit - which is why it’s important for us and others to be clear about what we will be accountable for.”
In addition to developing and adopting proposed standards, the company will be participating in research initiatives aimed at measuring the actual impact of genetic risk information on consumer behavior and related health outcomes over time.
The first such study, announced this week, is a Mayo Clinic study examining how patients understand and utilize information provided by a Navigenics personalized genetic risk assessment. The research also addresses 1) physicians’ understanding of predictive genetic risk assessment and 2) the impact of such information on preventive health decision making. Titled “A Proof of Principle Trial of Communication to Patients Receiving Predictive Genetic Risk Assessment,” the study begins in April 2008 and runs through September 2009. The study is funded jointly by Navigenics and Mayo Clinic.
About Navigenics
Navigenics, Inc. is a privately held company based in Redwood Shores, Calif. The company was founded by David Agus, M.D. and Dietrich Stephan, Ph.D., with the goal of improving health outcomes in individuals across the population. Navigenics educates and empowers customers with knowledge of their genetic predispositions, and then motivates them to act on the information to prevent the onset of disease, achieve earlier diagnosis, appropriately manage disease or otherwise lessen its impact. Navigenics’ lead investors are Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, Sequoia Capital and MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures. More information is at www.navigenics.com.
CONTACT: Hal Mackins of Feinstein Kean Healthcare for Navigenics, Inc.,
+1-415-677-2747, mobile +1-415-994-0040, Hal.mackins@fkhealth.com; Brenna
Sweeney of Navigenics, +1-206-999-4796, bsweeney@navigenics.com
Web site: http://www.navigenics.com/
