Olympic athletes currently competing in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London are using cutting-edge scientific methods to optimize their performance – including incorporating Pathway’s premier genetic test, Pathway Fit®, in their training regimens. Mail Online, an online division of the U.K.-based news service Daily Mail, reported earlier this month that athletes in the U.S. track cycling team are using information from the Pathway Fit test – along with other high-tech health solutions, such as glucose and sleep monitoring devices – to garner the competitive edge.
“Our focus is generating insights about how all components of performance are interrelated so we can identify patterns leading to highly individualized training plans,” Sky Christopherson, a performance consultant to the U.S. team members and founder of Optimized Athlete, a start-up that analyzes health data, told Mail Online. “Ultimately our goal is to apply these insights to consumers to help with breakthroughs in health and fitness.”
Pathway Genomics recently released its newest genetic testing service, the Cardiac Health InsightSM, which reveals how an individual’s genes may affect cardiovascular wellness and includes 24 heart-related conditions.
“The cardiac panel is an exciting product because it’s both focused and expansive, with a lot of actionable data.” said Dr. Michael Nova, Pathway’s chief medical officer. “It addresses a wide variety of cardiac-related traits, from risk for atrial fibrillation and hypertension to how a patient may respond to beta blockers and clopidogrel, and it’s an incredibly useful report for any physician and patient concerned about heart health.”
“The cardiac panel is an exciting product because it’s both focused and expansive, with a lot of actionable data.” said Dr. Michael Nova, Pathway’s chief medical officer.
The Cardiac Health Insight includes tests for genetic variants that are associated with a broad range of heart-related conditions. Patients can now easily learn about their genetic risk for factors that contribute to heart disease, cholesterol levels and responses to medication.
Part of the panel contains tests for over 50 variants associated with seven common diseases and health conditions. A person’s genetic profile contributes to risk levels for complex traits, such as diabetes, hypertension and myocardial infarction. Though a patient’s environment also influences these conditions, a doctor may see a more complete picture of a patient’s health by knowing the amount of risk contributed by a patient’s genes.
Part of the panel contains tests for over 50 variants associated with seven common diseases and health conditions. A person’s genetic profile contributes to risk levels for complex traits, such as diabetes, hypertension and myocardial infarction.
According to Healio’s Endocrine Today, a specialty clinical information website, a New Zealand-based study has concluded that children with a higher genetic risk for obesity have an increased likelihood of developing chronic obesity when they become adults. The 38-year prospective study, led by Daniel W. Belsky, Ph.D., of the Department of Health Policy and Management at Gillings School of Public Health, consisted of 1,037 male and female study participants. According to the study, published in the June 2012 issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, researchers found that “genetic variation linked with obesity risk operates, in part, through accelerating growth in the early childhood years after birth. Etiological research and prevention strategies should target early childhood to address the obesity epidemic.” Read more about this study…
Cinnamon Bloss, Ph.D.
As part of Pathway’s commitment to bringing you engaging discussions about the genomics industry, we interviewed Cinnamon Bloss, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Director of Social Sciences and Bioethics at the Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI). We had the opportunity to discuss with Dr. Bloss the projects she’s currently involved in, and she shared with us some very valuable perspectives about the behavioral impacts of genetic testing, as well as some important insights about the future of genomic medicine.
Dr. Bloss’ research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and is focused on investigating individuals’ behavioral and psychological responses to disclosure of personal genomic information. She is the lead researcher on STSI’s Scripps Genomic Health Initiative, and her work on this project was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine and has been highlighted at a number of national and international scientific meetings. She has also presented invited testimony on consumer genomics before a Food and Drug Administration Advisory Panel. Dr. Bloss’ other research interests include developing ways of combining genomics with traditional disease risk factors to make predictions about disease development, progression and response to treatment, as well as designing effective health interventions that leverage genomic information. She also conducts genetic association studies and has several collaborations to investigate the genetic underpinnings of neurological, behavioral, and other health-related phenotypes.
Dr. Bloss received her B.A. in Psychology from Smith College, her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, San Diego, and completed a predoctoral internship in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Florida. Dr. Bloss completed a post-doctoral fellowship in statistical genetics and genomic medicine at The Scripps Research Institute.
Pathway Genomics: What projects are you currently working on that you would like to share with us?
Dr. Cinnamon Bloss: We’re still working on our consumer genomic study that we published a couple of years ago, which is an ongoing study where we’ve been broadly looking at how consumers respond to getting genomic test results delivered directly to them – not going through a physician. We’ve looked at psychological outcomes, impacts on lifestyle, as well as impacts in the area of clinical screening.
“We’ve looked at psychological outcomes, impacts on lifestyle, as well as impacts in the area of clinical screening.”
The most comprehensive nutrigenetic test in the world is now available in Brazil, allowing for a new standard of care.
Pathway Genomics Corporation, a San Diego-based genetic testing laboratory, has partnered with Diagnósticos da América (DASA), the largest private medical diagnostics company in Latin America and the fourth largest provider of diagnostic services in the world. Based in Brazil, DASA’s clinical analysis division collects samples from more than 500 patient service centers and has 11 central laboratories. DASA’s brands include Alta Excelência Diagnóstica, Delboni Auriemo, Lavoisier, CDPI, Sérgio Franco, Pasteur, Exame and others. Through this partnership, physicians have access to Pathway’s valuable genetic testing services, bringing additional personalized care to more than 180 million people in Brazil.
Through this partnership, physicians have access to Pathway’s valuable genetic testing services, bringing additional personalized care to more than 180 million people in Brazil.
“Pathway’s vision is to responsibly reveal personalized and actionable genetic information in order to globally educate, inform and improve health and well-being,” said Dr. Michael Nova, Pathway’s chief medical officer. “Our alignment with DASA is a major part of this vision, and we are excited to help bring this scientifically-advanced technology to the people of Brazil.” Continue reading »
Michael Nova, M.D., Pathway Genomics’ chief medical officer, is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion focusing on the convergence of genomic and digital technology, and the impact it will have – and is having – on the ways in which health care is delivered. Sponsored by CommNexus, a forward-thinking non-profit technology industry association, the event will center on MD Revolution, a San Diego-based medical practice that currently uses genomic and digital technology to shift the medical paradigm from delivering reactive disease care to empowering proactive health care.
“We are on the cusp of a major revolution in traditional medicine – one that will empower patients through vital and actionable genetic information,” said Dr. Nova.
“We are on the cusp of a major revolution in traditional medicine – one that will empower patients through vital and actionable genetic information,” said Dr. Nova. “Clinics like MD Revolution are at the very forefront of this movement and are leading the charge towards a more efficient and personalized health care experience.”
Pathway Genomics Corporation and the California Schools Voluntary Employee Benefits Association (VEBA) recently completed a study that evaluated the weight loss results of 179 overweight California school employees. Results at six months showed that when overweight employees took the Pathway Fit® genetic test, they had significant weight loss success — some lost up to 40 pounds — when compared to employees who had previously tried to lose weight, under similar conditions, without the genetic test.
A participant in the study describes, “The genetic study helped me change my overall behaviors and food choices and portion control. The understanding of my overall genes and physical health has helped me work more effectively with my VEBA health coach to achieve my weight loss goals.”
California Schools VEBA has distributed a press release, announcing the study’s findings. Read the full release…
A recent study published in the journal PLoS One claims that exercise may increase heart risk for some people. According to the study’s abstract, researchers conclude that “adverse responses to regular exercise in cardiovascular and diabetes risk factors occur,” and “identifying the predictors of such unwarranted responses and how to prevent them will provide the foundation for personalized exercise prescription.” The study was led by Claude Bouchard, Ph.D., professor of genetics and nutrition and former executive director at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. The medical and scientific community has received the study’s findings with mixed feelings.
“It is an interesting and well-done study,” said Dr. Michael Lauer, director of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in an interview published in the New York Times on May 30th.
Still, some experts worry about the implications of such provocative results. “There are a lot of people out there looking for any excuse not to exercise,” said William Haskell, emeritus professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, in a New York Times interview published on May 30th. “This might be an excuse for them to say, ‘Oh, I must be one of those 10 percent.’” Read more about this story…
Pathway Genomics has been selected by San Diego Venture Group as one of 30 “cool companies“ to be featured at its 10th Annual Venture Summit on June 6.
“The selection is a reminder that companies like Pathway are at the forefront of a major shift in the way medicine is practiced throughout the world,” said Jim Plante, Pathway’s founder and CEO.
“The selection is a reminder that companies like Pathway are at the forefront of a major shift in the way medicine is practiced throughout the world,” said Jim Plante, Pathway’s founder and CEO. Selected from a field of over 150 applicants, Pathway Genomics and the other 29 companies will be a prominent part of the event, which draws more than 100 venture capitalists and 500 attendees.
What We Do
Looking at millions of characters of genetic data is not typically thought of as, “Cool.” But, it’s what we provide that’s cool. Partially funded by Founders Fund (Facebook, SpaceX), Pathway screens genes associated with the propensity for drug responses, life-altering conditions, as well as food and exercise responses. We decode that information and turn it into easy-to-read reports for physicians and their patients, and in some cases, we give actionable advice they can use to optimize their health and wellness. Learn more about Pathway…
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