By Christina Phillips
August 15, 2016 | Proove Biosciences has added three new tests to its line of genetic profiles that help physicians make better decisions about how to treat illnesses. The new profiles for addiction, fibromyalgia, and thromboembolism are designed to identify specific genetic markers and other factors that are unique to each patient and influence that patient's response to different treatments. Physicians in private, university, and public healthcare centers can use this information to make more informed decisions regarding treatment on an individual basis.
Proove’s patented bioinformatics platform combines data from a range a patient physiological characteristics including results from a genetic panel unique to each test and physician clinical assessments to deliver reports to physicians.
“We have 11 different profiles,” says Proove’s Director of Clinical and Scientific Affairs, Svetlana Kantorovich. “Some enable physicians to individualize and optimize selection and dosing of medication. Others provide information regarding risks associated with certain disorders, and allow physicians to make more informed decisions.”
Physicians begin by collecting a cheek swab from a patient. The specimen is analyzed in Proove's CLIA-certified and CAP-credentialed laboratory in Irvine, Calif. Results are returned to the doctor and include genetic variants identified from the test panel, a score and treatment recommendations, and proprietary analysis of how genetics may contribute to certain disorders and may influence treatment.
Proove has completed and presented several IRB-approved studies that examine genetic markers and phenotypic variables that contribute to illness and treatment response. It’s flagship test—Proove Pain Perception—has been documented in over 20 peer-reviewed publications. The three newest Proove profiles are the addiction profiles, the fibromyalgia profile, and the thromboembolism profile.
Many factors contribute to substance use disorders, including a person’s genetic makeup, family history, and environmental factors. The Proove Addiction Profile analyzes a patient’s genetic makeup for variants in 14 genes linked to a higher susceptibility to addiction, and Proove analysis predicts how a patient is likely to respond to certain types of drugs, including drug therapies to treat addiction. The Proove Addiction profile expands on one of Proove’s other profiles, the Opioid Risk profile, by providing information about addiction to not only opioids, but alcohol and recreational drugs such as cocaine and heroin.
Fibromyalgia is classified by widespread musculoskeletal pain, usually accompanied by fatigue and tenderness. Fibromyalgia is difficult to diagnose and treat because the syndrome develops through a variety of biological pathways in different patients. The new Proove Fibromyalgia Profile evaluates variations in eleven genes that influence pathways underlying fibromyalgia symptoms. “The profile provides information about genetic variants that contribute to centralized pain, and genetic variants that modulate the concentration of pain medications,” says Kantorovich. “This information can help tailor personalized treatment.”
Studies supported by the National Center for Biotechnology Information have revealed that there are several genetic markers that are associated with increased risk of a patient developing venous thromboembolisms, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, outside of common risk factors such as diabetes and smoking. The Proove Thromboembolism Profile evaluates three genetic polymorphisms that contribute to a higher risk of developing a thromboembolism, and stratifies patients into low, moderate, and high-risk categories. The profile then provides clinical recommendations for treatment according to these results.