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:

Read More

You have heard of the elderly. But how about the “wellderly”? The moniker is now being used to describe healthy seniors over the age of 80 who have been fortunate enough to live long – without any chronic diseases or the assistance of long-term medication.

What’s their secret? Scientists would like to know, too. In southern California, a group of researchers has launched the “Wellderly Study” to analyze the genes of some 1,000 healthy octogenarians, nonagenarians and centenarians. The researchers hope that by exploring the DNA of this long-lived group, they will have a better understanding of the genetics behind longevity and lifelong health.

For the Wellderly project, Scripps scientists will compare the DNA from healthy seniors with DNA taken from seniors who died from common diseases such as cancer, heart attack and stroke before they made it to 80. This second group has been dubbed the “Illderly.”

Many of the wellderly, the scientists note in the journal Nature, do have genes that should have made them susceptible to diseases – yet they’ve still managed to stay healthy.

Read More

Common genetic variants and the role they play in breast cancer have been popular topics in scientific journals lately.  I recently mentioned a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine that found women with 14 of the genetic markers associated with breast cancer had 6.3 times the risk of breast cancer as women with none of the markers.  “A few susceptibility alleles may distinguish women who are at high risk for breast cancer from those who are at low risk,” the study determined.

Now comes more research that supports the notion that analyzing a woman’s genes can be a useful weapon to add to the arsenal physicians and patients have in the battle against breast cancer.

Scientists had already established that there are several environmental links to breast cancer, including a woman’s age at first period, her family history and current age. Recently, researchers have had the tools to start identifying the other pieces of the puzzle – genetic risk factors. 

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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. 

Read More