Category Archives: Genetic Medicine

This month, Insights & Outcomes finds intriguing answers to scientific questions about underground nanowire networks, distant galaxies that lack dark matter, and the connection between psychiatric disorders and immune system disorders.

As always, you can find more science and medicine research news on Yale News Science & Technology and Health & Medicine pages.

Over the past four years, Yale astronomer Pieter van Dokkum and his collaborators have identified a pair of galaxies, DF2 and DF4, that have little or no dark matter and are located in close proximity to each other.

This cosmic togetherness is no coincidence, according to a new study in Nature led by van Dokkum, the Sol Goldman Family Professor of Astronomy in Yales Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The researchers say DF2 and DF4 along with a handful of other galaxies formed in a line after a bullet collision of two original galaxies about eight billion years ago.

The researchers said the colliding galaxies dark matter an invisible, theorized material that emits no light or energy continued traveling through space, unimpeded. But star-making gas from the colliding galaxies reacted violently. As it cooled and contracted, the gas created a tidy row of up to 10 new galaxies.

Were seeing the entire aftermath of this collision, laid out in the sky, van Dokkum said. There are these new galaxies with almost no dark matter, and then there are two objects at the leading edge of the row that we think may be the remnants of dark matter from the original galaxies.

Going forward, the findings present an opportunity to study whether dark matter can interact with itself. The findings also provide an explanation for the existence of galaxies lacking dark matter.

Everything fits now, van Dokkum said. We see the mechanism.

Co-authors of the study were Zili Shen, Michael Keim, Dhruba Dutta Chowdhury, and Daisuke Nagai, all from Yale, and former Yale researcher Shany Danieli.

The ground beneath our feet and under the ocean floor is an electrically charged grid, the product of bacteria exhaling excess electrons through tiny nanowires in an environment lacking oxygen. Yale researchers have been studying ways to enhance this natural electrical conductivity within nanowires 1/100,000th the width of a human hair by identifying the mechanism of electron flow.

A Yale team led by graduate student Peter Dahl with Nikhil Malvankar, assistant professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry in the Microbial Sciences Institute, and Victor Batista, professor of chemistry and faculty member of the Energy Sciences Institute, found that nanowires move 10 billion electrons per second without any energy loss. The research also explains the remarkable capacity of these bacteria to send electrons over long distances.

The team also found that cooling the environment around nanowires of Geobacter bacteria from room temperature to freezing increases conductivity 300-fold within the nanowires. This is very surprising, the researchers said, because cooling typically freezes electrons and slows them down in organic materials.

By combining experiments with theory, the researchers found the colder temperatures restructure hydrogen bonds and flatten heme proteins within nanowires that enhance the flow of electricity. Leveraging this naturally occurring electrical grid might one day lead to the development of living and self-repairing electrical circuits, new sources of electricity, and bioremediation strategies.

The research was published in the journal Science Advances. Other authors include Sophia Yi, Yangqi Gu, Catharine Shipps, Jens Neu, Patrick OBrien, Dennis Vu, and Sibel Ebru Yalcin from the Malvankar Lab and Atanu Acharya, Uriel Morzan, and Subhajyoti Chaudhuri from the Batista Lab.

People with psychiatric disorders are more likely to suffer from immune system disorders than those without mental health problems, and vice versa.

Scientists have struggled to explain these intriguing associations but a new Yale study suggests genetics plays an important role. The Yale team conducted a genome-wide analysis of patients and identified shared genetic liability between 31 pairs of psychiatric and immune system disorders. Conversely, they also identified 13 other genetic signatures that seemed to lessen the chances of someone with an autoimmune disorder also having mental health problems and vice versa.

Positive genetic correlations were found between multiple psychiatric disorders when paired with asthma, Crohns disease, hypothyroidism, ulcerative colitis, and primary biliary cholangitis. Negative genetic correlations were seen when several psychiatric disorders were paired with allergic rhinitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and Type 1 diabetes.

The genome-wide data alone does not explain which condition may trigger the other. However, by using different analytical tools, the researchers found evidence that suggests genetic liability for major depression, schizophrenia, and a multi-disorder condition may directly affect the risk of asthma and inflammatory bowel disorders.

The relationship between mental health and immune disorders could have multiple environmental causes, the researchers stress. They say more study is needed.

The research team was headed by lead author Daniel Tylee, a psychiatry resident in the Yale Neuroscience Research Training Program (NRTP), and senior author Renato Polimanti, assistant professor of psychiatry. The study was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Patients with treatment-resistant depression who received injections of ketamine did not differ in response and outcomes from those who received federally approved nasal spray esketamine, based on the primary outcome measure of a retrospective clinical study, Yale researchers show. However, patients who received intravenous ketamine showed slightly better improvement of depressive symptoms on some secondary outcome measures than those who received esketamine, according to the study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Researchers stressed the results were not based on a randomized controlled trial and more investigation needs to be done to determine if the findings were clinically meaningful.

While both treatments resulted in notable improvement of symptoms in many patients, we may be seeing a signal for a possible difference here; but this is far from a conclusive finding, said corresponding author Sina Nikayin, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. We still need to conduct a prospective, randomized trial before we can reach any firm conclusions.

Two decades ago, a finding by Yale scientists that ketamine, a common anesthetic medication, could quickly alleviate symptoms of chronic, treatment-resistant major depression set off a flurry of studies into why an anesthetic medication used since the 1970s had such a beneficial effect in psychiatric disorders. Yale holds a share of the patents licensed to Janssen Pharmaceuticals related to the intranasal administration of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression and to reduce suicide risk.

Intranasal esketamine (Spravato) was approved for the treatment of chronic depression by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2019, and for treatment of depression with suicidal ideation in 2020.

Intravenous ketamine is not currently approved for the treatment of depression; however, it is used off-label in many clinics to treat chronic depression.

Yale researchers have a formula for getting in the flow

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One step closer to creating new hair follicles

Frustrated nanomagnets order themselves through disorder

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Insights & Outcomes: Nanowire networks and a galactic 'bullet' collision - Yale News

Despite what many of us might like to believe, COVID-19 has not gone away. South Africa recently identified two new subvariants of Omicron designated BA.4 and BA.5. These subvariants have now spread to several other countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States. Should we be concerned about them? Medical News Today assessed the evidence and spoke to experts in the U.S. and the U.K. to find out.

Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Omicron the list of SARS-CoV-2 variants continues to expand. And no sooner have we got used to one variant than another appears.

Latest on the list are the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which were identified recently in South Africa, one of the few countries that are still sequencing large numbers of COVID-19 tests.

South Africa has seen a rapid increase in positive tests for COVID-19, and authorities believe that BA.4 and BA.5 are responsible. The National Institute of Clinical Diseases in South Africa reports that BA.4 and BA.5 are Omicron viruses with a new combination of mutations.

Scientists in this country first detected BA.4 on January 10, 2022, and it has since spread throughout South Africa, now making up 35% of positive tests. BA.5 was identified on February 25, and now accounts for 20% of cases in several South African regions.

Both subvariants are similar to Omicron BA.2, which is currently dominant in the U.K., continental Europe, and the U.S.

BA.4 and BA.5 have identical mutations on their spike protein the part of the virus that attaches to receptors on human cells that differentiate them from BA.2. Each subvariant has its own different mutations in other areas of the virus.

We have learned that the [COVID-19-causing variants] are more mutable than we initially thought. Periodically we get major new variants thats a big shift. But we also get little, what we call drift variants. You can think of them as members of the same family [] theyre like cousins.

Prof. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, TN

So far, BA.4 and BA.5 have been identified in several countries in addition to South Africa. According to a report from the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA), with data up to April 22, BA.4 was present in Austria, the U.K., the U.S., Denmark, Belgium, Israel, Germany, Italy, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Australia, Switzerland, and Botswana.

On the same date, health authorities had identified BA.5 in Portugal, Germany, the U.K., the U.S., Denmark, France, Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, Israel, Norway, Pakistan, Spain, and Switzerland.

Few countries are sequencing large numbers of positive tests, despite the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) stating on May 4 that testing and sequencing remain absolutely critical.

In many countries were essentially blind to how the virus is mutating. We dont know whats coming next.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

He is not alone in his concern about the lack of sequencing. Prof. Christina Pagel, professor of operational research at University College London (UCL) and director of the UCL Clinical Operational Research Unit, told Medical News Today that [w]e are opening ourselves up to a serious new wave particularly in winter that we would not be able to spot in time.

Although the numbers recorded for both variants are currently low, the actual case numbers are likely to be much higher. Without sequencing of positive tests, the variants that cause COVID-19 cannot be identified.

On May 12, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reclassified BA.4 and BA.5 as variants of concern. This followed a sharp rise in cases in Portugal, where the Portuguese National Institute of Health estimated on May 8 that BA.5 was responsible for around 37% of all positive cases.

The ECDC reports that although there is no evidence yet of increased severity over previous variants, BA.4 and BA.5 do appear to be more transmissible.

The Omicrons are an extraordinarily contagious family. There are some data that say these subvariants are even more contagious. [] Do they have the capacity to produce more severe disease? At the moment, if anything, Omicron seems to be on the milder side.

Prof. William Schaffner

In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have also designated BA.4 and BA.5 as variants of concern.

The U.K. has not yet followed suit. However, the UKHSA published a risk assessment of the two subvariants comparing them with Omicron BA.2. This suggests that the new subvariants may be better at evading the immune system than BA.2, but that the data is insufficient to draw firm conclusions.

In South Africa, which has identified the greatest number of cases, symptoms and severity seem similar to those of disease caused by Omicron BA.2. So far, the number of hospitalizations there has increased only slightly.

Some good news from GAVI the vaccine alliance is that although antibodies from previous Omicron infection do not seem to afford much protection against the new variants, antibodies from vaccination appear to be much more effective.

Prof. Schaffner agreed that vaccines should protect against severe disease from the new variants: These are slightly different mutations of the spike protein are they so different that they cannot be responsive to our vaccines? The answer is no.

However, he is concerned that vaccine fatigue may be having an effect:

Of course, vaccines dont prevent disease vaccination prevents disease. And the issue, at least in [the U.S.], is can we persuade people to come forward yet again to be vaccinated? There is clearly vaccine fatigue out there.

He added that [t]he more people we can vaccinate around the world [the more we can] reduce the chance of these rogue variants popping up.

Prof. Jonathan Stoye, FRS, principal group leader, and international affairs ambassador at the Francis Crick Institute in London, U.K., agreed: It does not seem unreasonable to ask whether a greater emphasis should not be placed on attempting to provide and deliver a vaccine which can be administered to all the worlds unprotected people, particularly those in lower and middle-income countries.

It is likely that BA.4 and BA.5 will spread further, and that they will not be the last new variants.

Prof. Pagel expressed concern that lack of testing and sequencing may mean that variants are not detected early: [I]n England, for instance, we are only really doing PCR tests on hospital admissions [] [and] because admissions are skewed towards older populations, it will take longer for variants to show up if they spread first among children and young people as has been typical so far.

These concerns were echoed by Prof. Schaffner, who said that [w]e require a coordinated international surveillance system, and critical to that is the sequencing of viruses. Number one: To detect these minor subvariants. Its always better to know than not [to] know.

And then, of course, the sequencing is utterly important to pick up that rare event when we would get another rogue strain that could evade the protection of our vaccines, he added.

It is likely that COVID-19, in whatever form, will be with us for some years to come the key question is, can we keep it under control as we try to get life back to normal?

As weve moved from pandemic phase to endemic, how will we cope? Are we going to come to some sort of fraught truce with this virus? We havent figured out how to do that yet.

Prof. William Schaffner

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Omicron BA.4 and BA.5: What to know about the new variants - Medical News Today

Shape Therapeutics, Inc.

Rajan, Sims bring unique platform technology experience to help build the next generation of RNA medicine

SEATTLE, April 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shape Therapeutics Inc., the RNA technology company advancing programmable medicine, today announced the addition of two new members to its board of directors. Technology industry executives Gayathri Rajan and Kelly Sims will bring their expertise to enhance the next phase of ShapeTXs business, as it continues to deploy its platform to repair the genetic causes of disease.

ShapeTX is leveraging AI to discover RNA medicines that are effective, safe, and easy to manufacture. ShapeTXs platform enables the design of innovative medicines across a wide range of diseases, including genetic disorders and debilitating conditions, such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons and many more.

Im thrilled to welcome Gayathri and Kelly to our Board of Directors, both of whom are recognized leaders in their respective technology fields, said Francois Vigneault, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of ShapeTX. They have played instrumental roles in the development of leading technology platform companies. Their complementary areas of expertise are a huge gain to our organization and will serve us well as we continue to weave together tech and biology to make programmable RNA medicine a reality.

Gayathri Rajan recently joined DriveWealth as Chief Product Officer after more than 16 years with Google, where she worked on a number of strategic platform initiatives, ranging from Google Payments to Google Maps. Most recently, as VP/GM for Google Maps Platform, she scaled the enterprise business to reach more than three million customers worldwide. Prior to joining Google in 2006, Rajan led technology teams at Unilever, Air Products, and the Vanguard Group. Rajan currently serves on the board of Maximus, a leading provider of health and human services worldwide.

"As I'm entering a new phase in my career, I want to focus my energy on helping companies that are dedicated to improving people's quality of life, Rajan said. I believe were at the beginning of a new era in medicine - one in which we can use remarkable technological innovation to treat any and every disease at the genetic level. Im honored to bring my experience and insights in building and scaling platforms to help ShapeTX realize such an important mission and vision."

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Kelly Sims was an early member of the Stripe team and served as head of communications, overseeing public affairs, internal and external communications, brand development, social media and media relations. In addition to helping grow the internet economy for fintech giant Stripe, which was recently valued at $95 billion, she has held leadership positions at Twitter, Abernathy MacGregor, and IBM. Sims currently serves as a board adviser to Watershed, a software platform company for climate programs, and the AI research company OpenAI.

AI holds tremendous potential for transforming nearly every aspect of society but the power it has in advancing patient care and outcomes is especially powerful, Sims said. Im excited to help ShapeTX deploy AI across its innovative RNA technology platform to create new and better medicines, knowing it will have tremendous impact on the health of patients everywhere while also driving major innovation in both science and technology.

About Shape Therapeutics Inc ShapeTX is the RNA technology company advancing programmable medicine to repair the genetic causes of disease with AI and RNA. The ShapeTX platform uses AI to identify which RNA medicines, among hundreds of billions of possibilities, are most likely to be effective, safe, and easy to manufactureall based on insights from analyzing data at a massive scale. The ShapeTX platform enables pharma innovators to design treatments across a wide range of diseases, including rare genetic disorders as well as debilitating conditions, such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons and many more. You can find us at shapetx.com and on LinkedIn and Twitter.

ContactInvestors & MediaCindy Fung, PhDcindy@shapetx.com

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Shape Therapeutics Welcomes Google and Stripe Veterans Gayathri Rajan, Kelly Sims to its Board of Directors - Yahoo Finance

@SaolRx is partnering w/ @InformedDNA to offer #GeneticCounseling for children w/ rare mito disease (PDCD) #mitodisease

This pivotal phase 3 trial administers the investigational drug dichloroacetate (DCA) to children who have a deficiency of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). PDC deficiency is the most common cause of congenital lactic acidosis and is frequently fatal. DCA has Orphan Product designation from the FDA for congenital lactic acidosis (CLA), including patients with PDCD.(ClinicalTrials.gov link:Trial of DCA in Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Deficiency)

Some of the questions and topics addressed during the genetic counseling appointment include:

Dr. Peter Stacpoole, Principal Investigator of the DCA/PDCD trial and Prof. of Medicine at the University of Florida, notes that "There are currently no FDA-approved treatments for patients with PDCD. This service allows them to make an informed decision about clinical trial participation, which is critical to advancing treatment options for rare diseases."

Dave Penake, CEO of Saol Therapeutics, is pleased to partner with InformedDNA to provide this valuable service. "Individualized genetic counseling offers families the insights needed to better understand PDCD and to determine if participation in this clinical trial makes sense. Completing the trial and having a potential FDA-approved treatment for PDCD will be a huge milestone for Saol and the families that have participated in the study."

"Like many rare genetic diseases, PDCD is a severe disease with no proven therapies. Many affected patients do not survive childhood. We are thrilled that Saol Therapeutics is investing in this rare disease, and we are passionate about leveraging InformedDNA's highly effective virtual screening process to engage and connect appropriate patients to the clinical trial and advance therapeutic progress in this devastating disease," said Karmen Trzupek, Director of Clinical Trial Services at InformedDNA. Healthcare providers and caregivers for children with Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Deficiency (PDCD) may request a genetic counseling appointment by visiting http://www.InformedDNA/Saol.

About Saol Therapeutics

Saol Therapeutics (pronounced "Sail") is a privately held, biopharmaceutical company with operations in Roswell, GA, Dublin, Ireland and Hamilton, Bermuda. Saol is focused on clinical development activity in rare diseases, with a focus on mitochondrial disorders, as well as central nervous system disorders such as spasticity and pain management. Saol is one of the collaborators on a Phase 3 trial studying the first potential treatment for pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency (PDCD). More information on the clinical trial can be found at Phase 3 PDCD Trial. More information about Saol can be found at https://saolrx.com/.

About InformedDNA

InformedDNA is the country's leading applied genomics solutions company, helping harness the full power of precision medicine. With the largest independent staff of board-certified genetics specialists in the U.S., InformedDNA ensures that health organizations have access to the highest quality, most current genomics insights to optimize clinical decisions. Our solutions, which cover evidence-based guideline development, patient experience management, and value management, have helped optimize the health benefits of more than 135 million covered lives and have navigated hundreds of thousands of peopleto the right treatments or clinical trials. For more information, visitwww.InformedDNA.com.

Clinical Trial Contact:

Kathy Dorsey, Director of Clinical Operations, Saol Therapeutics, [emailprotected]

Media Contacts:

Brian Nappi, Senior Vice President Strategy, Saol Therapeutics, [emailprotected]

Megan Smith, MERGE for InformedDNA, [emailprotected], 404-408-3379

SOURCE Saol Therapeutics

Link:
Saol Therapeutics and InformedDNA Partner to Offer Genetic Counseling to Patients with Rare Mitochondrial Disease - PR Newswire

Pathology refers to the study and understanding of diseases and their impact on the body. An individual working in this field is a medical healthcare professional, known as a pathologist, who diagnoses, treats, and prevents a range of diseases.

The term pathology comes from ancient Greek and translates to the study of suffering. Doctors and scientists working in pathology are experts in illness and disease and use their expertise to support every aspect of healthcare.

There are different routes to becoming a pathologist, but they involve years of studying and training. Pathologists may practice in all areas of pathology, but they will typically specialize in a certain field or discipline within this subject, such as neuropathology, hematopathology, or dermatopathology.

In this article, we will discuss what pathologists do, how to become one, and the types of specialties that exist.

Pathology is a general term to describe the study of diseases and injuries that may occur in the human body. By obtaining samples of bodily cells, fluids, and tissues and then analyzing them, an expert can identify any abnormalities or distinct changes. This enables them to better understand the cause of the issue, how it is progressing, and how the condition is affecting the bodys typical functions and processes.

Pathologists are typically either doctors with specialist laboratory training or scientists with specialist clinical training. They work closely with other healthcare professionals and contribute toward the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of diseases. They are responsible for performing laboratory tests to show the presence, cause, and severity of diseases and to monitor the progress of the condition and effects of treatment.

While most pathologists receive training in both the clinical and anatomical realm of pathology, some receive additional training, giving them expertise in a certain subspecialty of their choosing.

The route to pathology will usually commence after the successful completion of a related degree and training. A person will then complete a residency, where they study and practice pathology under the training of experts in the field. The field of pathology encompasses both anatomic and clinical aspects, with anatomic focusing on the effect of disease on the human body and clinical involving laboratory work and supervising testing procedures.

A person may choose to specialize in one of these disciplines or take a longer residency and practice both. The final step to becoming a pathologist is passing a board certification exam.

The path to becoming a pathologist may follow a similar trajectory as follows:

Some pathologists have a subspecialty within a certain discipline of pathology. This typically requires additional training and an assessment of knowledge. While training standards and organizations may differ between countries, they largely cover similar duties. Some subspecialties and their corresponding responsibilities include:

A pathologist specializing in this area is responsible for the monitoring, processing, and compatibility of blood products. This involves ensuring sufficient blood is available and overseeing the safety, testing, and preparations for blood and blood components.

Clinical pathologists, sometimes known as chemical pathologists, are experts in biochemistry and how changes in bodily pathways relate to disease diagnosis and progression. These individuals monitor substances in bodily fluids, such as blood and urine, to assess changes in an individuals body chemistry.

A pathologist who specializes in clinical informatics aims to improve patient and society health outcomes, patient care, and doctor-patient relationships. They do this by evaluating data, health trends, and communication systems and collaborating with other healthcare professionals. These individuals use the information they collect to try to improve and polish medical processes that will allow for better patient outcomes.

Cytopathologists analyze cell samples from bodily fluids to check for cellular abnormalities and use that information to study and diagnose conditions. They use techniques that enable them to observe cells, such as staining methods or using a microscope.

Dermatopathologists specialize in interpreting skin biopsies to help diagnose a variety of skin conditions. This may involve studying a skin sample under a microscope to evaluate the tissues structure, detect any agents causing the condition, and assess for abnormalities.

A forensic pathologist will study tissue in an individual after a sudden, unexpected, or violent death. They sometimes will work as a medical examiner or coroner by performing autopsies for law enforcement. It is their responsibility to help determine the cause, manner, and mechanism of death.

A pathologist who specializes in hematology studies conditions specific to blood cells, blood clotting pathways, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. These individuals use blood samples to diagnose conditions such as anemia, leukemia, lymphomas, and more.

A medical microbiologist studies infectious organisms and antibiotic susceptibilities. They support and oversee the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions that result from microorganisms.

A molecular genetic pathologist studies genetic markers. These individuals assist with the monitoring, diagnosis, and prognosis of diseases relating to genetic disorders, infectious diseases, and human development. They also help determine the risk of genetic disorders.

Neuropathologists are individuals who study conditions that affect the nervous system. They will frequently act as consultants to neurologists and neurosurgeons and will analyze samples postmortem to study dementia, assess trauma, and evaluate genetic conditions.

A pathologist who specializes in pediatric pathology investigates diseases that occur in children up to 18 years of age. These individuals may also specialize in perinatal pathology, which involves the study of disorders of the placenta, problems affecting development, and causes of pregnancy loss.

Pathologists are medical professionals who help study the cause and progression of a disease or injury. They are typically experts in a certain subspecialty and frequently help other physicians with the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of conditions. Becoming a pathologist involves many years of education and training under experts.

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What is a pathologist and how does a person become one? - Medical News Today

Meditech announced Wednesday that its precision medicine solution integrating a patients full genetic history into their EHR is now live at Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare. The rural health organization in Clinton, Missouri is the first to deploy the EHR vendors solution called Expanse Genomics.

Expanse allows providers to order genetic testing directly in the EHR, and analyze and parse results that are displayed directly in patient charts, according to Westwood, Massachusetts-based Meditech.

Currently, most genomic data is stored in scanned PDFs or in reference lab databases that have to be retrieved through an API (application performing interface), said Jennifer Ford, a product manager at Meditech, in an email. The Expanse Genomics solution has the data stored discretely within the Expanse EHR, which is managed by the organization. It receives the data directly from the lab and displays it all in one place, specially designed for clinicians. The data can then be further used for built-in clinical decision support.

Using the solution, providers at GVMH now have the ability to tailor care to a patients genetic profile in aims of providing more accurate treatment, according to the health organization and Meditech.

The EHR vendor expects another early adopter to go live in the coming months, and is working with a number of organizations interested in the solution in the U.S., Canada and the UK, Ford said. She added that Meditech sees an opportunity for this solution to be used in many areas, including behavioral health, precision nutrition and research.

Other EHRs have also been incorporating genetic data to help improve patient care. That includes Epic, which last year announced it was partnering with Foundation Medicine to integrate genomic insights in its EHR.

Meditechs genomic solution is already being used in a number of clinical areas by GVMH, including at its cancer center. Expanse will equip physicians with genetic data about a patients predisposition to diseases, their ability to metabolize medications and the characteristics of a tumor in an effort to improve patient outcomes, Meditech said.

Having a patients full genetic medical history at your fingertips is essential to effectively treating the patient and delivering a more personalized care experience, said William Dailey, chief medical information officer at GVMH, in a statement. Expanse Genomics is an intuitive solution that provides our clinicians with actionable data for each patient when they need it, and it creates a clear path equipped with clinical decision support tools necessary to make informed decisions.

Photo: libre de droit, Getty Images

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Meditech's genomic solution, which provides a patient's full genetic history in their EHR, is now live - MedCity News