Category Archives: Gene Medicine

The healthcare landscape has been benefitting from advancements in genomics which is helping to understand the function, structure, evolution, editing and mapping ofgenomes. The global genomics market is being favored by a streak of solid developments in sequencing, microarray, PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), Nucleic acid extraction and Purification techniques. Also, the implications of AI, cloud-based technologies and increased R&D focus are lending a competitive edge to the companies with significant exposure to genomics.

The latest developments in the genomics space highlight its role in making diagnostic tests for the coronavirus. In this regard, GlaxoSmithKlines GSK consumer products division has recently partnered with Mammoth Biosciences to develop a new CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)-based at-home COVID-19 test which would be fast, hand-held and fully disposable (per a FierceBiotech report). Moreover, the FDA has also awarded an emergency COVID-19 authorization to Sherlock Biosciences CRISPR-based, high-throughput lab test (per a FierceBiotech report).

Factors Supporting the Genomics Market

The application of human genomics studies across several public health programs like population screening and consumer wellness programs might create new opportunities. Notably, programs like these mainly aim at enhancing preventive care for common chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease, per a Grand View Research report.

Moreover, with the support of new technologies the market is seeing decreasing sequencing costs and widening genomics-based applications. The genomics market is also seeing a ramp-up in government spending with a huge number of start-ups entering the market. Partnerships between research institutes and companies are also opening up new growth opportunities in the global genomics market.

Tremendous progress is being observed within thegene editing space as well. Given the growing applications of gene-editing, it is a rising market which offers endless opportunities. In fact, going by aZion Market Researchreport, the $3.7-billion global genome editing market of 2018 is expected to reach $9.66 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 14.7%.

ETFs to Gain From the Momentum

It appears like growing demand for personalized medicine, solid investments and higher R&D activities can make genomics the next big thing in the investing space. In fact,going by a MarketsandMarkets report, the $18.9-billion global genomics market is expected to reach $35.7 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 13.5%. The report further states that North America accounted for the largest share of the global genomics market in 2018.

In such a scenario, we highlight a host of ETFs that investors can keep tabs on:

ARK Genomic Revolution ETFARKG

ARKG is an actively managed ETF that seeks long-term growth of capital by investing under normal circumstances primarily (at least 80% of its assets) in domestic and foreign equity securities of companies across multiple sectors, including health care, information technology, materials, energy and consumer discretionary, that are relevant to the Funds investment theme of the genomics revolution. The fund holds 37 stocks in its basket and has 0.75% in expense ratio. It has accumulated $1.03 billion in its asset base (read:First-Mover Pandemic Disease Fight ETF On The Way).

Invesco Dynamic Biotechnology & Genome ETFPBE

This fund follows the Dynamic Biotech & Genome Intellidex Index. The index comprises companies that are majorly engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and marketing plus distribution of various biotechnological products, services and processes and companies that gain significantly from scientific and technological advances in biotechnology and genetic engineering and research. The fund holds 30 stocks in its basket. It has managed $243.7 million in its asset base. Expense ratio comes in at 0.57% (read:Biotech ETFs to Gain From Latest Advancements in Cancer Drugs).

Global X Genomics & Biotechnology ETFGNOM

This is a new entrant in the space having accumulated $33.1 million since its inception on Apr 5, 2019. It seeks to invest in companies that potentially stand to benefit from further advancements in the field of genomic science, such as companies involved in gene editing, genomic sequencing, genetic medicine/therapy, computational genomics and biotechnology. The product follows the Solactive Genomics Index, charging 68 bps in annual fees. It holds 41 stocks in its basket.

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Profit from the Genomics Market Momentum With These ETFs - Yahoo Finance

On a cold, grey winter day, Stephen Secor pulled into the driveway of David and Amber Nelson who welcomed him into their converted basement, filled with stacks of refrigerator-size, glass-doored cages. Each cage contained a massive snake. Some of the Nelsons pythons and boa constrictors were recent adoptions from Secors lab, a few miles to the west at the University of Alabama.

Secor and David Nelson, a product manager at a local car parts factory, hoisted the snakes one at a time out of their cages.

Hello, Monty, hows my sweetheart? Secor asked a tan Burmese python as it slithered up his shoulders. Montys a good snake, arent you?

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

It was feeding day. The snakes had not eaten for two weeks. They were now about to perform one of the most extraordinary acts of metabolism in the animal kingdom a feat that Secor has been exploring for a quarter of a century.

He has been finding adaptations throughout the snakes entire body, such as the ability to rapidly expand organs and then shrink them back down. His findings offer tantalizing clues that might someday be applied to our own bodies as medical treatments.

Nelson opened the cage that held a dark grey Burmese python named Haydee, and heaved in a large rat. The rat stood frozen in the corner, but Haydee ignored her new roommate for several minutes. She slowly raised her metallic-coloured head, indifferently flicking her tongue. And suddenly Haydee became a missile.

She shot across the cage, snagged the rat with her upper teeth and wrapped her thick midriff around her victim. Between Haydees coils, the upended rat was still visible, its back legs and tail jerking in the air. It heaved for a while with rapid breaths, then stopped.

Haydee loosened her grip and raised her head to the door, as if wondering if more rats were in the offing. Then she turned back to her prey, nose to nose, and opened her mouth wide. She used her side teeth to pull her head over the dead rodent. Her jaws stretched apart to make room, and she worked the rat into her expanding throat. She arched her head up towards the door, as if offering her human audience a chance to say farewell to the rat as its hind legs and tail slid into her esophagus.

Her jaws stretched apart to make room, and she worked the rat into her expanding throat (Dr Stephen Secor)

Pythons and several other kinds of snakes regularly eat a quarter of their body weight at once. Sometimes a meal will outweigh them. Over the next few days, they break their prey down and absorb almost all of it.

Secor started studying how these snakes alternate between fasts and feasts in graduate school, and has been developing new ways to study them. These days, he is collaborating with genome experts to investigate the animals in molecular detail. Together the scientists are finding that snakes perform a genetic symphony, producing a torrent of new proteins that enable their body to quickly turn into an unrivalled digestion machine.

No hype, just the advice and analysis you need

I am a huge fan theyre taking state-of-the-art genomics and pushing the boundaries on what we can understand, said Harry Greene, a Cornell University snake expert not involved in the project. Its not too preposterous to imagine that could have fantastic human health implications.

As a graduate student, Secor studied how sidewinder rattlesnakes survived as they went from long fasts to gulping down whole animals. He wondered how much energy they needed to digest a meal.

A newborn (two days old) sidewinder rattlesnake with one button rattle(Getty/iStock)

When he came to the University of California, Los Angeles, as a postdoctoral researcher, he decided to find out. He fed mice to his rattlesnakes and then put them in a sealed box. He could analyse samples of air from the box to track how much oxygen they breathed to burn fuel.

In two days, I had these numbers that made no sense, he said. When mammals feed, their metabolic rate goes up between 25 per cent and 50 per cent. The rattlesnakes jumped about 700 per cent.

Secor switched to pythons and found that they reached even greater extremes. If a python eats a quarter of its body weight, its metabolic rate jumps 1,000 per cent. But pythons can eat their whole body weight if Secor has enough rats on hand. In those cases, their metabolic rate can soar by 4,400 per cent, the highest ever recorded for an animal.

For comparison, a horse in full gallop increases its metabolic rate by about 3,500 per cent. But whereas a horse may gallop for a couple of minutes in the Kentucky Derby, a python can keep its metabolic rate at its extreme elevation for two weeks. Secor has spent years investigating what the snakes are doing with all that extra fuel. For one thing: making stomach acid.

We add some acid to our stomach a few times a day to handle our regular meals. But when a python is fasting, its stomach contains no acid at all. Its pH is the same as water. Within hours of swallowing an animal, Secor found, a snake produces a torrent of acid that will remain in its stomach for days, breaking down the snakes prey.

Secor started studying how these snakes alternate between fasts and feasts in graduate school (Dr Stephen Secor)

Meanwhile, the snakes intestines go through a remarkable growth spurt. Intestinal cells have fingerlike projections that soak up sugar and other nutrients. In a snake, those cells swell, their fingers growing five times longer. A python can triple the mass of its small intestines overnight. Suddenly its digestive tract can handle the huge wave of food coming its way.

Once all that food is circulating through the snakes bloodstream, its other organs have to cope with it. Secor and his colleagues have found that the rest of a snakes body responds in a similarly impressive fashion. Its liver and kidney double in weight, and its heart increases 40 per cent.

By the time the rat in Haydees esophagus makes it to the end of her large intestines, all that remains is a packet of hair. Everything else will be coursing through her body, much of it destined to end up as long strips of fat. In the meantime, her gut will shrink, her stomach will turn watery again and her other organs will return to their previous size.

From an evolutionary point of view, Secor could see how this drastic reversal made sense. Running all this stuff is a tremendous waste of energy, he said. Why keep things up and running when you dont use them? But how snakes managed this feat was harder for Secor to explain. Other scientists couldnt help him.

When he showed pictures of shrinking snake intestines to pathologists, they were baffled. Theyd say: Your animals are sick. Theyre dying. They have parasites that are ravaging their intestines, Secor said. Id say, No, theyre healthy. They just shook their heads and sent me on my way.

Found in the Middle East, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, the cobras venom can kill a human within 15 minutes and an elephant in three hours. It can be recognised by its small flat head and round snout

Alamy

Found across Southern Africa, the snake, which has dark stripes, hunts small mammals, birds, lizards, frogs and toads

Rex

Once thought to be the worlds deadliest snake, the black mamba is found in Southern and Eastern Africa. It strikes once, then waits for its prey to become paralysed before devouring it

Rex

The snake, which is found in South Asia and India, has a speckled belly and a distinctive cross-shaped white mark on its head. It hunts lizards scorpions and centipedes

Rex

The colour varies on this snake, which is found in sub-Saharan Africa. It eats small rodents, lizards and other snakes. Unlike other snakes it projects its venom

Rex

Found in the Middle East, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, the cobras venom can kill a human within 15 minutes and an elephant in three hours. It can be recognised by its small flat head and round snout

Alamy

Found across Southern Africa, the snake, which has dark stripes, hunts small mammals, birds, lizards, frogs and toads

Rex

Once thought to be the worlds deadliest snake, the black mamba is found in Southern and Eastern Africa. It strikes once, then waits for its prey to become paralysed before devouring it

Rex

The snake, which is found in South Asia and India, has a speckled belly and a distinctive cross-shaped white mark on its head. It hunts lizards scorpions and centipedes

Rex

The colour varies on this snake, which is found in sub-Saharan Africa. It eats small rodents, lizards and other snakes. Unlike other snakes it projects its venom

Rex

Measuring their oxygen intake and looking at their intestines under microscopes could only take Secor so far. He asked colleagues who studied DNA what it would take to track how snake genes turned on and off during digestion.

And theyd say, You couldnt do it, Secor recalled. It would take years and years and years, because youd have to pull each one out, and then you have to find out what it was.

Then in 2010, Secor met Todd Castoe, an expert on sequencing reptile DNA, who jumped at the chance to help Secor make sense of his snakes. The metabolism is crazy so much of this is extreme and unexpected, said Castoe, who teaches at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Castoe and Secor started a collaboration to understand snakes at the molecular level. In 2013, they and their colleagues published the genome of the Burmese python. Now they had a catalogue of every gene that snakes might use during digestion.

Since then, the scientists have tracked how the snakes use these genes. Secor and his students dissect snakes either during a fast or after they have had a meal. The researchers examine every organ and preserve samples for later study.

Everything is pickled or frozen, Secor said. He ships some of the material to Castoe in Texas, who cracks open the snake cells. Castoes team then finds molecular clues to which genes are active in different organs.

Pythons and several other kinds of snakes regularly eat a quarter of their body weight at once (Dr Stephen Secor)

The researchers were shocked to find that within 12 hours of its swallowing prey, a vast number of genes become active in different parts of a snake. You might expect maybe 20 or 30 genes to change, Castoe said. Not 2,000 or 3,000.

A number of the genes are involved in growth, the researchers have found, while others respond to stress and repair damaged DNA. It is a strange combination that scientists have not seen in animals before. Castoe speculates that snakes use their growth genes far more intensely than, say, a growing human child would.

That overdrive allows the snakes to double the size of organs in a matter of hours and days. But it may also come at a cost: the cells are growing and dividing so fast that they dont have time to be careful. Along the way, they produce a lot of malformed proteins that damage the cells.

When the swollen organs shrink back to normal, it appears that the snakes may simply shut down their repair genes, so that their cells are no longer shielded from their self-inflicted damage. The whole growth thing collapses, Castoe speculated.

Even among snakes, the fast-and-feast way of life is unusual, having independently evolved only a few times. By looking at other such fasting snakes, the scientists have found some of the same changes in gene activity. They are focusing on this smaller set of genes.

Once all that food is circulating through the snakes bloodstream, its other organs have to cope with it (Getty/iStock)

Its like were cutting away pieces of the pie, and we just want the juiciest part, Castoe said. If he and Secor can figure out what happens in snakes, it might be possible to elicit some of their powers in our own bodies, since we share many genes in common with animals.

The scientists suspect that the snakes orchestrate their transformation with a few molecular triggers. Some genes may cause many other genes to switch on in an organ and make it grow. If scientists could find those triggers, they might be able to regenerate damaged tissue in people.

Alternatively, doctors might mimic the way that snakes rapidly but safely reverse their growth. There might be clues in their biology for how to stop the uncontrolled growth of cancers. If you knew the answers to all that, youd probably have drugs that could cure dozens of diseases, Castoe said.

But Castoe sees a lot of work ahead before any such benefits emerge. For now, he and his colleagues have no idea what the triggers are in snakes.

To find out, they are now looking at snakes within just a few hours of catching prey. They can see changes in the snake cells. But those changes occur too quickly to be the result of switching on genes. It is possible that the snakes are refolding the proteins that already exist in their cells, so that they do new things.

Id love to put together the whole pathway, Secor said. But were not even close to figuring this all out.

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Montys a good snake, arent you?: Is the way pythons control their own genes the future of medicine? - The Independent

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Low-cost, low-tech health care options often work best - Midland Reporter-Telegram

Breakthrough genome editing companies includingEditas (NASDAQ:EDIT) and Intellia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NTLA) have been in a tailspin since late 2019, and the latest earnings reports from both of those companies show that their revenue from collaborations and partnerships has started to dry up despite positive revenue growth overall.

Both companies aim to produce gene therapies utilizing CRISPR-based genetic editing in living patients, though their methods of delivering that therapy differ substantially. Neither company has a product on the market, though Editas beat Intellia to clinical trialsin April when it began testing EDIT-101 for Leber congenital amaurosis, a type of congenital blindness. Nonetheless, Editas is many years away from its first therapy being approved for sale, assuming that EDIT-101 proceeds past phase 1.

Investors considering either of these two companies should be aware that both are risky choices with no guarantee of a payoff over any term. There is one significant difference that wise investors will weigh carefully, however: Editas's partnerships and strategic collaborations appear positioned to be far more fruitful for the company than Intellia's.

Image source: Getty Images.

Intellia is a slightly smaller company than Editas, but its pipeline is comparable in breadth. The companies are of similar age, with Editas having been founded in 2013 and Intellia in 2014. However, Intellia's network of collaborations and research partnerships is far less lucrative, and its pipeline projects may soon require new funding to move forward.

Intellia's partners include pharma giantNovartis (NYSE:NVS) and biotechRegeneron (NASDAQ:REGN). Novartis made a substantial equity investment in Intellia as part of that partnership, and Novartis also retained exclusive rights to develop any engineered CAR-T cancer therapies produced by the collaboration. Intellia also agreed to give Regeneron the exclusive right to develop CRISPR-based therapies targeted at any of 10 different genes in the liver.

The terms of these collaborations make Intellia unable to capitalize on major successes beyond extending the depth of integration with its partners. Thus, in the long view, the company's path forward would still require moving its wholly owned therapy candidates to market, even if its approach is proven by a collaborator's success.

Editas's partnerships, on the other hand, are substantially more equitable. Editas's major drug development collaborations include Allergan (now part of AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) and biopharma giantBristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY). The expectation with these collaborations is that the more mature partner companies will be responsible for clinical-stage development, with Editas providing trial-ready therapy candidates and a technology platform to develop similar therapies according to the partners' needs.

Should these candidates show promise in phase 2 clinical trials investigating preliminary efficacy, the company's collaborators would likely respond by initiating new collaborations to capitalize on Editas's platform before its output is replicated by a competitor like Intellia. But Editas isn't in the same position as Intellia with regard to its major collaborations because it has a chance to capture the upside of collaborators' successes as well.

Editas's collaboration with Allergan specifies that both parties have optionality to co-develop any successful programs, and that Editas will share the revenue and losses of those programs equally with Allergan.And Editas's previous collaborations with companies like Celgene demonstrate that companies collaborating with Editas do so to access its gene-editing platform as customers as much as partners.

Editas also has partnerships with research-stage small preclinical companies such as Sandhill Therapeutics. Sandhill's therapeutic platform could benefit immensely from integrating Editas' genetic editing technologies. A similar research-stage pact with BlueRock Therapeutics initiated in 2019 has already advanced to clinical pipeline collaborations for Editas, proving that working with external peers is one of the company's organizational strengths.

It's important to remember that Editas's collaboration advantage is far from the only ingredient the company needs to survive in the medium term. Reliable revenue remains absent, and collaborations are vulnerable to amendment if the company can't deliver what its collaborators need to move products through the clinical trial process.

Data by YCharts

For the moment, neither Editas nor Intellia warrants a definite buy, and present holders of Intellia may want to consider selling. If Intellia cancels any of its preclinical programs, consider it a strong sign that the company's health is deteriorating. Look at Editas's performance in the second and third quarters to see if they're on the right track for a buy early next year, but understand that waiting until next year to reevaluate the company's situation is probably the wisest path.

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Here's Why Editas Could Beat Intellia to a CRISPR Therapy - Motley Fool

The complement system is part of the bodys immune system to fight pathogens and remove cell debris. Its role in two autoimmune diseases and a mental disorder is a surprise.

The complement system is part of the bodys immune system to fight pathogens and remove cell debris. Its role in two autoimmune diseases and a mental disorder is a surprise.Variants in a gene of the human immune system cause men and women to have different vulnerabilities to the autoimmune diseases lupus and Sjgrens syndrome, according to findings published today in the journal Nature. This extends recent work that showed the gene variants could increase risk for schizophrenia.

The gene variants are a member of the complement system, a cascade of proteins that help antibodies and phagocytic cells remove damaged cells of a persons own body, as well as an infection defense that promotes inflammation and attacks pathogens. Normally the complement system keeps a person healthy in the face of pathogens; it also helps cart away the debris of damaged human cells before the body can mount an autoimmune attack. Now complement gene variants apparently play a contributing role in the diseases systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjgrens syndrome and schizophrenia.

It had been known that all three illnesses had common genetic associations with a section of the human chromosome called the major histocompatibility complex, or MHC. This region on chromosome 6 includes many genes that regulate the immune system. However, making an association with a specific gene or with the mutational variants of a specific gene that are called alleles has been difficult, partly because the MHC on human chromosome 6 spans three million base-pairs of DNA.

The Nature paper is a collaboration of 22 authors at 10 institutions in the United States and one in England, along with many members of a schizophrenia working group. Robert Kimberly, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and director of the UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science, is a co-author of the research, which was led by corresponding author Steven McCarroll, Ph.D., assistant professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.

The identified alleles are complement component 4A and 4B, known as C4A and C4B.

The research showed that different combinations of C4A and C4B copy numbers generate a sevenfold variation in risk for lupus and 16-fold variation in risk for Sjgrens syndrome among people with common C4 genotypes. Paradoxically, the same C4 alleles that previously were shown to increase risk for schizophrenia had a different impact for lupus and Sjgrens syndrome they greatly reduced risk in those diseases. In all three illnesses, the C4 alleles acted more strongly in men than in women.

For the complement proteins that are encoded by the genes for C4 and for complement component 3, or C3, both C4 protein and its effector C3 protein were present at greater levels in men than in women in cerebrospinal fluid and blood plasma among adults ages 20-50. Intriguingly, that is the age range when the three diseases differentially affect men and women for unknown reasons. Lupus and Sjgrens syndrome affect women of childbearing age nine times more than they do men of similar age. In contrast, in schizophrenia, women exhibit less severe symptoms, more frequent remission of symptoms, lower relapse rates and lower overall incidence than men, who are affected more frequently and more severely.

Both men and women have an age-dependent elevation of C4 and C3 protein levels in blood plasma. In men, this occurs early in adulthood, ages 20-30. In women, the elevation is closer to menopause, ages 40-50. Thus, differences in complement protein levels in men and women occur mostly during the reproductive years, ages 20-50.

The researchers say sex differences in complement protein levels may help explain the larger effects of C4 alleles in men, the greater risk of women for lupus and Sjgrens, and the greater vulnerability of men for schizophrenia.

Robert Kimberly, M.D.The ages of pronounced sex differences in complement levels correspond to the ages when men and women differ in disease incidence. In schizophrenia cases, men outnumber women in early adulthood; but that disparity of onset lessens after age 40. In lupus, female cases greatly outnumber male cases during childbearing years; but that difference is much less for disease onset after age 50 or during childhood. In Sjgrens syndrome, women are more vulnerable than are men before age 50.

The researchers say the differing effect of C4 alleles in schizophrenia versus lupus and Sjgrens syndrome will be important to consider in any therapeutic effort to engage the complement system. They also said, Why and how biology has come to create this sexual dimorphism in the complement system in humans presents interesting questions for immune and evolutionary biology.

Co-authors with McCarroll and Kimberly for the paper, Complement genes contribute sex-biased vulnerability in diverse illnesses, are Nolan Kamitaki, Aswin Sekar, Heather de Rivera, Katherine Tooley and Christine Seidman, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts; Robert Handsaker and Christopher Whelan, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology; David Morris, Philip Tombleson and Timothy Vyse, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom; Kimberly Taylor and Lindsey Criswell, University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine; Loes Olde Loohuis and Roel Ophoff, University of California-Los Angeles; Michael Boehnke, University of Michigan; Kenneth Kaufman and John Harley, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, Ohio; Carl Langefeld, Wake Forest School of Medicine, North Carolina; Michele Pato and Carlos Pato, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center; and Robert Graham, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, California.

Support came from National Institutes of Health grants HG006855, MH112491, MH105641 and MH105653; and from the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research.

At UAB, Kimberly holds the Howard L. Holley Research Chair in Rheumatology.

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Complement genes add to sex-based vulnerability in lupus and schizophrenia - UAB News

Trusted Business Insights answers what are the scenarios for growth and recovery and whether there will be any lasting structural impact from the unfolding crisis for the Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing market.

Trusted Business Insights presents an updated and Latest Study on Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market 2019-2026. The report contains market predictions related to market size, revenue, production, CAGR, Consumption, gross margin, price, and other substantial factors. While emphasizing the key driving and restraining forces for this market, the report also offers a complete study of the future trends and developments of the market.The report further elaborates on the micro and macroeconomic aspects including the socio-political landscape that is anticipated to shape the demand of the Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing market during the forecast period (2019-2029).It also examines the role of the leading market players involved in the industry including their corporate overview, financial summary, and SWOT analysis.

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Abstract, Snapshot, Market Analysis & Market Definition: Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing MarketIndustry / Sector Trends

Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market size was valued at USD 831.5 million in 2018 and is expected to witness 15.2% CAGR from 2019 to 2025.

U.S. DTC Genetic Testing Market Size, By Test Type, 2018 & 2025 (USD Million)

Rising prevalence of genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and Alzheimers globally is one of the major factors fostering direct-to-consumer genetic testing market growth. According to Global Genes, over 300 million people globally suffer from rare diseases. Recently developed DTC genetic tests allows consumer to identify probability of acquiring a specific genetic disease. Therefore, increasing adoption of DTC genetic testing for early disease detection and identification of genetic diseases will boost the industry growth over forecast timeline.

Increasing demand for personalized medications to treat genetic diseases will positively impact industry growth in forthcoming years. Individuals genome must be tested to develop personalized medicines. This increases the demand for DTC genetic kits since, it provides detailed information about individuals genetic predisposition. As detailed information regarding genetic makeup of individuals is easily available with the use of DTC genetic kits, researchers can easily design and develop personalized medicine that would help in faster patient recovery. Aforementioned factor is expected to drive the industry growth. However, high cost of DTC genetic testing kits may hamper industry growth to some extent during the forecast period.

Market Segmentation, Outlook & Regional Insights: Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market

Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market, By Test Type

Predictive testing segment will experience around 17% growth throughout the analysis period. Considerable segmental growth can be associated with rising prevalence of genetic diseases. Recently developed DTC genetic tests help to identify mutations that increase the chances of acquiring specific disease accurately. Surging awareness regarding benefits of such presymptomatic testing has reduced the mortality rates by enabling effective management of disease. Above mentioned factors have stimulated the segmental growth that is predicted to continue over the forecast timeframe.

Ancestry and relationship testing segment accounted for over 43% revenue share in 2018. Increasing awareness regarding ethnicity tests amongst the American and European population has increased the demand for DTC genetic tests. Accuracy and efficiency possessed by these tests has fostered segmental growth. Moreover, ancestry tests developed by companies such as Ancestry.com are user friendly. Availability of robust DTC ancestry tests providing meaningful clinical, genealogical and even forensic information will positively impact the segment growth.

Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market, By Technology

Targeted analysis segment was valued over USD 310 million in 2018. Targeted analysis is utilized for determining the defects in genes that are responsible for a particular disorder. Targeted genotyping can accurately measure an individuals gene pool that encodes important information regarding various diseases. Targeted analysis can be conducted at significant low cost compared to other available techniques that should augment its adoption rate over forecast timeframe.

Single nucleotide polymorphism segment will experience around 15% growth throughout the forecast period. Single nucleotide polymorphism chips specifically detect changes in single nucleotide that increases the efficiency of tests. For instance, SNP chips utilized for diagnosing hereditary cancers have detected 1300 mutations in BRCA2 genes. Various companies such as Ancestry.com and Color Genomics utilize SNP arrays that analyse gene sequences at a specific resolution and reveal detailed analysis about the defective genes that may in future cause certain disease. Increasing adoption of such advanced SNP chips in DTC testing kits will trigger the segmental growth.

Germany DTC Genetic Testing Market Size, By Technology, 2018 (USD Million)

Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market, By Region

North America direct-to-consumer genetic testing market accounted for around 39% regional share in 2018. Regional market growth can be attributed to increasing prevalence of genetic diseases. Rare genetic diseases such as thalassemia, hemophilia and anaemia require continuous and critical monitoring. According to CDC, every year more than 1,000 people are affected by thalassemia. Furthermore, American population has higher literacy rate and also, awareness regarding DTC tests is high amongst the American population that augments demand for DTC genetic tests.

Europe is estimated to experience around 15% growth over the coming years. European direct-to-consumer genetic testing market is highly regulated and for carrying out some of the genetic tests through DTC kits, customers are required to have physicians prescription. However, currently, European regulatory bodies are working on improving regulations set on DTC tests due to improved accuracy and efficiency possessed by them. Thus, improvement in regulatory scenario will positively impact regional market growth.

Latin America DTC Genetic Testing Market Size, By Country, 2025 (USD Million)

Key Players, Recent Developments & Sector Viewpoints: Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market

Few of the eminent industry players operating in direct-to-consumer genetic testing market are Ancestry, 23andMe, Color, Family Tree DNA, EasyDNA, Helix, Identigene, Full Genomes, Genesis HealthCare, Karmagenes, MyHeritage, MapMyGenome, Living DNA and Pathway Genomics. Chief industry players implement numerous initiatives such as mergers, acquisitions and new product launch to maintain their market position. Receiving approvals from regulatory bodies for new products will also foster companys revenue share. For instance, in October 2018, 23andme received first U.S. FDA approval for de novotechnology utilized in pharmacogenomic tests. This approval will enable company to launch innovative products, thereby fostering companys growth.

Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Genetic Testing Industry Viewpoint

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing industry can be traced back to early 2000s. Earlier DTC tests were thought to be convenient as they would allow the patients to access their genetic information without involvement of physician. Although, DTC genetic testing kits had several benefits, in the initial days, they were stringently regulated by regulatory bodies. Regulatory scenario has always been stringent since the introduction of DTC genetic kits in European countries. Currently, there has been change in the regulatory scenario and European countries have started receiving approval for DTC genetic kits. Defects in the DTC kits have been reduced and people have started relying on these kits. DTC genetic testing market is sort of matured in North America due to numerous technological advancements and is still in developing phase in Asian countries. With further advancements in technology, DTC genetic tests industry will experience numerous growth opportunitie

Key Insights Covered: Exhaustive Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market1. Market size (sales, revenue and growth rate) of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing industry.2. Global major manufacturers operating situation (sales, revenue, growth rate and gross margin) of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing industry.3. SWOT analysis, New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis, Upstream raw materials and manufacturing equipment & Industry chain analysis of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing industry.4. Market size (sales, revenue) forecast by regions and countries from 2019 to 2025 of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing industry.

Research Methodology: Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market

Quick Read Table of Contents of this Report @ Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market Research Report Forecast to 2029 (Includes Business Impact of COVID-19)

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Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market Analysis Of Global Trends, Demand And Competition 2020-2028 - Cole of Duty