DNA in the News

Another case-control study published in October pointed out increased risk of stent thrombosis for patients taking Plavix with variations in a gene called CYP2C19. Patients with adverse events were two times more likely to have half of the gene be non-functional. Called intermediate metabolizers, this represents about one-third of patients. Patients with no CYP2C19 function, called poor metabolizers, were seven times more likely to have an adverse event. About 2-4% of Caucasians, 10% of Africans, and 20% of Asians are poor metabolizers. If you or a loved one is taking Plavix, ask about DNA Drug Sensitivity Testing.

See more at theheart.org/article/1300023.do

Embassies Crack Down on Third-party Immigration DNA Tests

Third-party resellers of DNA testing abound on the internet. Unfortunately, many of them are unfamiliar with strict requirements for immigration DNA testing. The problem has become so pronounced that many Embassies are now requiring petitioners to contact AABB-accredited laboratories directly.

Natalie Messelt from the US Embassy in Addis Ababa stated, “A petitioner must independently choose his or her own AABB lab, make the appointment, and go to the collection site directly. The collection site must then send the specimen to the main AABB lab testing site directly,
through the lab's internal, controlled system. Third-party vendors include, but may not be limited to, private companies or clearinghouses that serve as intermediaries to make appointments on behalf of petitioners or beneficiaries. The authority for collecting DNA specimens in the United States resides exclusively with the AABB labs and their directly affiliated collection sites.”

The immigration process is complex and lengthy, don’t risk delays and unneeded additional expenses of retesting – contact the AABB labs directly.

Coming Home to Die of Drug Interactions

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have returned 40,000 wounded soldiers to the US, the highest number, compared to combat deaths, of any war in history. Another 300,000 or more troops have returned with traumatic brain injury, P.T.S.D. (post traumatic stress disorder), depression, or chronic pain; difficult to treat conditions our troops will likely suffer from for many years. As a result, psychiatric drugs, central nervous system depressants, and narcotic painkillers have been used by military doctors more than in any previous war. But those medications are being increasingly linked to a rising tide of other problems, among them drug dependency, suicide, and fatal accidents—sometimes from the interaction of the drugs themselves. An Army report on suicide released last year noted that medications were involved in one-third of the record 162 suicides by active-duty soldiers in 2009. An additional 101 soldiers died accidentally from the toxic mixing of prescription drugs from 2006 to 2009. DNA testing can help improve this situation because almost all of the drugs contributing to the drug interactions afflicting our troops are affected by DNA status. When prescribers know the DNA status of their patients, they’re in a better position know when drugs or combinations of drugs will work or when they might be unsafe. Adapted from “For Some Troops, Powerful Drug Cocktails Have Deadly Results,” The New York Times, Feb. 12, 2011

A Family Battle to Overcome Bad Genes for Drug Metabolism

This is an abridged version of an article Tom Carlson, owner of HostasDirect and IdealGardenMarkers, is sending to all of his subscribers because he is a staunch advocate for personalized medicine based upon almost tragic personal experiences.

It has been known for years that people react differently to medications. There is more than a 50% chance that you have an easily diagnosed drug metabolizing enzyme problem, a genetic mutation that causes 100,000 deaths and 2,200,000 serious drug reactions in the U.S. every year. If you know and understand your enzyme situation, you can learn which prescription drugs are best and worst for you. A simple genetic test can mean the difference between a drug that makes you well and one that gives you a toxic reaction or has no effect at all. Despite these tests being around for the last few years, a recent study found that only "1 in 4 physicians had any education in the use of genetic testing to guide medical decisions,” and many people are unaware of how far personalized medicine has come.

My family and I have experienced first-hand how pivotal this information is. We have all been tested, and it has been very influential in improving our health care. Members of my family have suffered and almost died from being prescribed medications that did not match their unique and genetically determined drug metabolizing enzymes. I am not in any way affiliated with the genetic testing industry; this is simply something I am passionate about and I feel that it is my responsibility to share this knowledge with you.

My dad almost died from a bad drug-gene interaction in 2008 caused by a common prescription pain killer. Even though he explained to his outstanding health care providers that, like 10% of the population, he is a poor metabolizer of the CYP2D6 enzyme, he was still prescribed the wrong pain medication after surgery. His caregivers did not understand the drug-metabolizing enzyme information he provided and he was prescribed a medication that is solely metabolized by CYP2D6. He rapidly became very sick, and experienced no pain relief. I thought he was going to die in front of me. As he was suffering, I went on the web and learned that thousands have died from the combination of drugs and being a CYP2D6 poor metabolizer.

My mother also had a problem with Coumadin, a common blood thinner, which could have been very serious. Like 35% of the population, she is an intermediate metabolizer of the CYP2C9 enzyme, which metabolizes the blood thinner. She told her caregivers about her enzyme deficiency, but they did not know of the tests or what my mom’s meant. Worse yet, they did not tell her they did not understand what she told them. These caring, smart, hardworking people proceeded to give her way too much blood thinner for her enzyme situation. When she returned to get her blood checked, they discovered that her blood had become dangerously thin, and there was a risk that she could bleed to death.

These incidences–and others I can’t name here–could have, and should have, been prevented!

Please realize I am not a physician and take no liability for your decisions. Talk to your doctors, pharmacists, and nurses and find out if they are familiar with this testing. I have talked to many highly regarded physicians that were not familiar with these tests. They greatly appreciated the information I shared, and some even changed how they prescribed medications to members of my family. One physician told me, “Of course we have seen different results in patients given the same medications, but we have never understood why–this makes total sense. Thanks for letting me know.”

Please pass this information along–knowledge and understanding of these tests needs to get to the public and medical community. You might save or improve a life!

Genelex has created a new web page at http://www.healthanddna.com/drug-safety-dna-testing/stories.html called Real People, Real Stories to help raise awareness.

Do you have a story to share? Email info@genelex.com.

DNA in the News

The Innocence Project is currently working to free a man in Virginia who has served over 27 years for three rapes he did not commit; DNA and other evidence prove a known offender actually committed the crimes. Unfortunately, the man was convicted based on witness identification that has proven time and time again to be unreliable. More than 250 people have been exonerated in the last 20 years based on post-conviction DNA testing. Learn more at www.innocenceproject.org.

DNA Debates Continue, Strangely Paternity Overlooked

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) DNA paternity testing has been missing from the controversy about D2C genetic testing hitting the news lately. The FDA has held multiple public comment sessions on consumer genetics. A task force report commissioned by the American Society for Human Genetics has called for better oversight of ancestry DNA tests. Yet paternity, with arguably the most important impact, has not even garnered a mention.

Many Americans do not realize that accreditation for parentage testing is voluntary and that no accreditation process exists for home paternity tests. Although most AABB accredited labs such as Genelex voluntarily apply the same scientific rigor to self-collection tests as they do the legally collected samples, no guidance exists. As America argues over whether people understand the shortfalls of tracing ancient genealogy, or whether they should be allowed to know that a genetic variation may increase their chance of heart disease, no one has stepped forward to make certain that tests that determine your parentage are passing muster. Yet, most physicians would agree family history is a key predictor of health. DNA paternity testing has been around for 20 years so maybe it is not as sexy as the new tests on the scene, but it impacts hundreds of thousands of Americans every year, and the impact of lack of quality is much further reaching.

Genelex Corporation Launches Tamoxitest which can improve survial rates for thousands of breast cancer patients

One hundred eighty thousand women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Eighty thousand will

start taking the drug tamoxifen to prevent the recurrence of their ER (estrogen receptor) positive breast

cancers. The treatment is successful in two-thirds of the women who take it. Genelex Corporation (Seattle)

is now offering Tamoxitest™ that could improve this success rate to greater than 90% by addressing both

of the common causes of tamoxifen treatment failure.
Ten-percent of women are unable to produce the enzyme CYP 2D6 essential for tamoxifen effectiveness

and need an alternative treatment. Another 35% have reduced functioning so their physician should

consider a higher dose or other treatments. DNA testing identifies both classes of patients.
Even with the right genetics, interactions with prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal remedies can also

reduce tamoxifen effectiveness. To prevent this, Tamoxitest™ includes access to GeneMedRx. This

interpretive software warns patients and physicians if tamoxifen benefit is at risk and offers safer

alternatives.

“Five years is a long time to take a medicine that may have little to no effect in preventing cancer

recurrence,” states Genelex Corporation’s CEO, Howard Coleman.

Tamoxitest™ is advocated by the National Foundation for Cancer Research and is based on research

completed at the University of Indiana and Mayo Clinic. This simple, but powerful test requiring only a few

cheek swabs is steadily gaining ground with the mainstream medical community.

Los Angeles oncologist Dr. Michael Benjamin, MD is one of the first physicians to embrace this

technology. "The Genelex gene profiling technology is a powerful tool to help my patients. With tamoxifen

testing, we can appropriately individualize treatment based on patients' ability to process the medicine.”
Benjamin regularly advises his patients to take Tamoxitest™.“ Genelex tamoxifen testing helps me be

smarter about who I treat with tamoxifen, and why. I can take the discoveries made in their labs right to the

patient’s bedside,” states Benjamin. “I see it as the wave of the future in medicine.”

Maura, a breast cancer patient, says that she ordered Tamoxitest™ after she was diagnosed. Found to

be an intermediate metabolizer, the patient and her doctor have opened a dialogue about her dose of

tamoxifen. “It was worth the information – and peace of mind – I received,” she concluded. Most

insurance companies cover the test.

Breast cancer patients and healthcare providers can learn more about Tamoxitest™ at

www.Tamoxitest.com.

Dr. Michael Benjamin’s website is www.interactMD.com