Learning of Risk of Alzheimer’s Seems to Do No Harm

A genetic test that can find an increased risk of Alzheimer’s diseasedoes no psychological harm to people who take it, even if they test positive for a risky gene, a new study finds.

The results challenge views long held by the medical establishment, which has discouraged people from being tested, arguing that the test is not definitive, that it may needlessly frighten people into thinking a terrible disease is hanging over them and that testing is pointless anyway because there is no way to cure or prevent the dementiacaused by Alzheimer’s.

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As genetic medicine races ahead, docs are left behind

Genetic tests that can help predict and refine a patient's response to drug therapy may be the first big thing in personalized medicine. But the vast majority of physicians don't know how to use them, a new survey finds.

Smart Genetics Shuts Its Doors

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing company, Smart Genetics, has gone out of business.

The two-year-old company sold HIV Mirror and Alzheimer’s Mirror, DNA tests for HIV progression to AIDS and Alzheimer’s risk respectively.I first wrote about HIVmirror in June 2007. Aimed at HIV+ individuals, the test analyzes the CCR5 Delta32 and CCR2-64I genetic variants previously shown to slow the progression of HIV infection to AIDS.

Alzheimer’s Mirror examined the APOE gene.CEO and co-founder Julian Awad first received funding for the company while at the Wharton School of Business. He was later profiled by CBS News for Alzheimer’s Mirror and found that his own personal lifetime risk of Alzheimer’s disease is about 9 to 10 percent compared to 15% for the general population.

Ironically, he was also mentioned in a Wharton article from 2007 – Can Anyone Make Sense — or Money — Out of Personal DNA Testing?

Apparently not.

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei

Jumping On Genetic Testing: The War of the SNPs

How many SNPs does it take to provide a definitive disease risk profile? Quite a few, apparently, as companies continue to pile them higher and deeper into genetic tests. Firms have bet that these tests will be widely adopted by physicians and the public to predict everything from risk of lung cancer among smokers, to prostate cancer, to Alzheimer’s disease, to baldness.

All told, about three dozen companies claim that they can provide genetic testing that predicts an individual’s risk of developing almost everything. “There is a bit of a wild wild west going on in terms of some of the DNA testing that’s out there,” said Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., the newly appointed NIH head, in an interview with CBS News in September 2008 with regard to a new offering from Smart Genetics purporting to predict susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

“Some of it is done by reputable companies, but there are some that are even unscrupulous who will offer you tests or DNA variations that, frankly, you’re not sure what they mean at all.” Smart Genetics stopped offering its controversial Alzheimer’s Mirror genetic test just eight months after introducing it, and the company subsequently shut its doors.

(Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News)

CyGene Launches New Website for Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Test Marketing

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., Aug. 26, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CyGene Laboratories Inc. (Pink Sheets:CYGE) today announced that it has launched a new website, www.cygenedirect.com, where consumers can get information and order predictive genetic tests geared to inform consumers about specific options to help improve health, while maintaining anonymity.  The consumer-friendly website features easy online ordering of the company's products. The site also includes comprehensive personal assessment information and details about potential benefits of the products, as well as detailed consumer information about genetics and genetic testing. The site also features links to the company's blog and its social media sites.  "People have a unique opportunity with CyGene to start learning about their personal genetics and how their genes may impact their lives. Generally, this will be their first brush with this exciting new field of science and our new website can help them find out how genetic testing works, which kits are best for them, and how they can be used to improve overall quality of life and athletic performance," said Martin Munzer, president and CEO of CyGene. "And our new site makes it easier than ever for people to get the information and products they're looking for with guaranteed anonymity."  The new creative direction of CyGeneDirect.com comes by way of Infinity Arts. "Our objective for CyGeneDirect.com was to re-invigorate the consumer website to be more compelling; easy to understand, navigate and relate to, while strategically improving visibility on the internet via search engines and online social mediums," said Michael Leahy, CEO for Infinity Arts.  About CyGene Laboratories Inc.  CyGene Laboratories Inc., based in Coral Springs, Fla., is a biotechnology company focused on introducing genetic predisposition and diagnostic testing into the general population. With five patents issued, CyGene's scientific expertise is in DNA analysis and diagnostic technologies. Incorporated in 1995, CyGene has been developing technology and introducing products that address the growing demand for genetic knowledge implementation and utilization. CyGene currently markets eight DNA predictive genetic test panels in accordance with its patent pending business model, sold direct to consumers and through physicians and other healthcare practitioners. CyGene's process offers customers access to the most updated science, guaranteeing their anonymity and keeping consumers on the cutting edge of genetic discoveries at the lowest possible price. The method also allows customers who have purchased a previous genetic test panel a low cost upgrade to their genetic report as new genetic discoveries become available.  For more information about CyGene Laboratories and its products, visit the Company's website at www.CyGeneDirect.com.