Navigenics has partnered with Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) to see if 10,000 folks from Scripps Health system in San Diego will change their behaviors based on their genetic risks. This is made possible by gene array chips from Affymetrix, a portal and genetic counselors at Navigenics, as well as storage at Microsoft's HealthVault.
As a beta user of Navigenics, I've been impressed with how differently I see my own personal health risks after getting tested. I previously knew of my family history predisposing me to specific health risks, but it was really brought home by being shown the increase in risk based on the genetic test. Whereas I knew previous to being tested that I would think about getting screened earlier, now that I have a positive test result for an allele, I've actually decided to do something about it and am going to get screened earlier.
I think that's the magic about this, it provides some level of evidence that you've inherited increased risk for a particular condition, gives you statistics showing the increase in that risk, lets you review the evidence supporting those studies, so you can decide what you want to do with some evidence.
As a physician who have patients asking me about these tests, I tell them that you need to examine the evidence that certain alleles are associated with increased risk. The evidence isn't strong in some cases, so you may not take certain positive results with as much weight as others. The great thing about Navigenics is that they're constantly adding to their testing and process your DNA thru these new tests as they discover the associations. I'm looking forward to a year of updates as being part of the beta testing group.
When asked whether or not storing health data at Microsoft HealthVault has any value -- I let my patients know that they could have a benefit if they have multiple independant physicians that use HealthVault and can store the records in one place for exchange between them. Since Navigenics' updates thru the year could continue to add updates, that may be of value. If you don't have any of your docs using HealthVault, it doesn't seem to offer any value in my opinion, over checking out your values at Navigenics' own portal.
This will be an exciting study to see if what I suspect to be true will be proven -- that individuals with a family history for conditions will decide to act and change their risk factors if they are told that their genes increase their risk. Somehow there's this hope that we're not quite like our folks, but if you show someone their genes, I think that will get them to act. One would hope ;)
To be clear, I have no financial relationship with Navigenics, Affymetrix, Microsoft, own no stock or options in any of them, and the only benefit to me has been free testing through the beta program, and Microsoft gave me a polar wireless monitor at the HealthVault release party that doesn't work with my mac.
