Geneticure Will Present Promising Data on Improving Treatment for Hypertension at the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Annual Meeting

Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 28, 2016 (Newswire.com) - Geneticure, LLC is a Minnesota-based pharmacogenomics testing company enabling the promise of personalized medicine by helping healthcare providers determine the right course of treatment for patients suffering from hypertension. The company will present data from their phase-I clinical trial at the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Annual Meeting in San Diego, California on April 3, 2016.

The results from Geneticure’s retrospective study demonstrate that the patented Geneticure Hypertension Panel would have significantly reduced the time to achieve optimal blood pressure control and would have reduced the number of clinic visits for patients being treated for hypertension. Researchers found that the strongest associations between blood pressure control and genetics were between genes that are important in sodium regulation and the patient’s response to a diuretic. In addition, researchers also found that drug metabolizing genes, along with genes that encode receptors essential in the regulation of heart rate and contractility of the heart, were strongly associated with the use of a drug called a beta-blocker.

The 14 gene Geneticure Hypertension Panel assesses hypertension treatment in a comprehensive integrative nature, from drug metabolizing enzymes to receptors that are important in the function of the heart, blood vessels, and kidneys, with a focus on and appreciation for the complexity of disease. The presentation of this data is a key differentiating step for Geneticure because there are several newly-developed pharmacogenetics companies which have yet to conduct clinical trials specific to their genetic panels.

“Without this data, it will be difficult to become a viable and widely utilized clinical test,” says Eric Snyder, PhD, chief operating officer for Geneticure. “The FDA, clinical organizations, and clinical practice teams want scientific rigor in the clinical tests that they use, rather than the test makers simply pointing to previous research that assessed the panel in pieces.”

“Additionally, the strategy of simply assessing drug metabolizing enzymes as a ‘shotgun’  approach to pharmacogenomics falls short of the true goal of personalized medicine because it ignores the integrative nature of disease and the number of receptors, proteins, and organ systems  involved in addition to the drug metabolizing enzymes,” adds Snyder. “What clinicians are asking for are tests that provide clear and concise reporting of actionable results paired with approved drug regimens. Targeted panels of highly functional genes that have been through clinical trials are the only way to ensure a seamless integration into the clinic and a large impact to the patient.”

The findings from the study can have significant impact in the way hypertension (high blood pressure) is treated. Some 78 million Americans have high blood pressure with 5 million new diagnoses each year but more than 50 percent do not have it under control. Hypertension is one of the most preventable contributors to disease and death in the world but remains the most common condition in the primary care setting. Often billions of dollars are wasted in medical settings trying to treat hypertension simply because doctors typically use the same drug and dose as a starting point for every patient and then correct prescriptions over time based on how well patients do or don’t react to it. This leads to a trial and error method of treating patients with prescriptions that could be ineffective or harmful. Patients then suffer through months of useless prescriptions and repeat office visits before getting their condition under control.

Geneticure’s research utilizes unique markers in each individual’s genetic code, which after testing the DNA will determine how well their body will respond to a particular drug and dose. The DNA testing is a simple cheek swap at the doctor’s office and once the results are back, doctors are better able to prescribe the correct drug and dosage, saving patients time and money and improving their overall health. For more information about the company and their research, visit Geneticure.com.

About Geneticure, LLC

Geneticure, founded in 2012 and based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, is a pharmacogenomics testing company dedicated to achieving the decades-long promise of personalized medicine. The company focuses on helping healthcare providers get the unique genetic information they need to determine the right course of treatment for patients suffering from hypertension. For more information, visit Geneticure.com.

Contact Information

Scott Snyder or Ben Bowman
[email protected]
http://www.geneticure.com
952-449-5242