Navigenics has made some significant additions to our genetic testing services.

Five new health conditions have been included in our test panel, and we have added 53 SNPs for a dozen existing conditions, which enhances the predictive ability of our genetic tests. We have also made improvements to our Alzheimer’s disease test. 

With these changes, our Health Compass customers will receive the most up-to-date results.

Read on to learn more about the new conditions.

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In an era when new DNA discoveries are announced daily, it often seems like the amount of genetic information we now have about ourselves is endless. Quantity, however, isn’t always the same thing as quality.

While genomic science continues to uncover fascinating details about our DNA, some of those findings are more useful than others. It may be interesting, for example, to learn whether you share a sprinter’s genetic propensity for speed. It’s important, however, to know whether you carry a high genetic risk for heart attack.

In our genetic health service, Navigenics analyzes only DNA relevant to your health.

To be added to our gene test panel, a health condition and the science behind it have to meet strict rules:

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In this era of fast-moving genome research, it seems that new genes are discovered every month for common diseases like Crohn’s disease, prostate cancer, or type 2 diabetes. However, Alzheimer’s disease has stubbornly resisted giving up any more secrets to researchers – until now.

For 15 years, only one gene, APOE, has been unambiguously associated with Alzheimer’s disease, yet scientists knew that the risk variant of APOE explained only a small amount of the genetic risk for Alzheimer’s.  Now, a new study by an international team of researchers has revealed a mutation, in a newly discovered gene, that can double the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers cracked this piece of Alzheimer’s code by turning to bioinformatics. They used the power of sophisticated math and computing to screen for genes that are expressed in certain regions of the brain and found on chromosome regions that had previously been suspected in Alzheimer’s.

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Among the recent swath of studies associating common genetic variants with common diseases, Crohn’s disease has fared especially well. A team of international researchers has discovered 21 additional variants that not only increase Crohn’s risk, but expand understanding of how the disease works.

That amount of additional knowledge would be great news for any health condition, but it is especially welcome in Crohn’s disease. Scientists still have a lot to learn about how this inflammatory gastrointestinal disorder does its damage, and the condition is difficult to diagnose and treat.

Knowing your risk ahead of time can help speed a correct diagnosis if you develop Crohn’s symptoms. And better insights may lead to better treatments.

Understanding the importance of these new genetic findings starts with a quick look at the research to date.

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When the scientific debate over personal genetic services got a little heated in March, scientists at Navigenics decided to weigh in with our own perspective. Our response is now in print—and the conversation continues.

This particular debate started when prominent federal and international scientists published an article in the American Journal of Human Genetics, criticizing the personalized genetics industry. The study’s authors discussed a number of personal genomics companies, and mentioned Navigenics briefly. The bulk of the study, however, focused on the genetic associations used by seven other personalized genetics companies – a lineup that did not include Navigenics – and found weaknesses in their scientific underpinnings. The researchers further claimed that there isn’t enough scientific evidence to make genomic profiles useful in measuring common disease risk or developing steps for disease prevention.

Scientists at Navigenics read the study, and wanted to set the record straight. 

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Want to know more about three recent studies linking DNA and lung cancer? Here’s a quick look at the basics, along with some thoughts on why the findings are interesting.

First the highlights, from the journals Nature and Nature Genetics:

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