OldDoorGunner
Diamond Member
Here we go again!!!!!
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/mason/2014/08/13/portman-promotes-genetic-test/14009675/
Portman promotes genetic test for veterans with PTSD
Rachel Richardson, [email protected] 4:19 p.m. EDT August 13, 2014
(Photo: Provided)
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Veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorders and other mental illnesses could soon find relief, thanks to a fast-growing Mason startup
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, this week visited Assurex Health to hold a town hall meeting and learn more about the company's genetic tests that help doctors prescribe the right medication for patients suffering from mental health disorders and chronic pain.
The personalized medicine startup, which operates out of the Mason Community Center, extracts and analyzes DNA from cheek swabs. Within 36 hours it sends a report through a secure portal to doctors, detailing which medications are most likely to be effective for individual patients, based on his or her genes.
Assurex celebrated a milestone last week with the administration of its 100,000th test. It hopes to test 1 million patients by 2018, said Gina Drosos, the company's CEO.
The privately held company has seen rapid growth in its GeneSight products since it launched out of Cincinnati Children's in 2006. The number of patients tested has doubled since 2012 and is on pace to double again in 2014, officials say.
More than 8,500 clinicians in the United States and Canada are registered to offer GeneSight, according to the company.
Assurex secured $32 million in new funding in May, including a $25 million bank loan led by GE Capital and an additional $7 million in investments from partners like CincyTech, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Sequoia Capital.
In June, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs awarded the company a federal contract as a government supplier, making the GeneSight Psychotropic test available for use in the VA's more than 1,400 facilities nationwide.
As many as 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and 30 percent of Vietnam veterans have PTSD, according to the VA's National Center for PTSD.
"The VA relationship is very important to us because it will help us serve veterans and help them to get on to the right medication for PTSD," said Drosos.
Company officials say Genesight tests reduce costs associated with health care and improve clinical outcomes.
"Prescribing a medication regimen that is more likely to succeed because it is tailored to an individual patient's genetic profile can help clinicians better manage each patient's disorder and improve clinical outcomes," Bryan Dechairo, the company's vice president of medical affairs and clinical development, said in a release.
Portman, who introduced a bill earlier this year that calls for mental health assessments of service members prior to enlistment, lauded the company's efforts and said the genetic test also holds promise for use in prison populations.
"It's going to be really helpful for those veterans, for their families. It also saves the taxpayers a lot of dollars because often the treatment is not successful," he said.
J R
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/mason/2014/08/13/portman-promotes-genetic-test/14009675/
Portman promotes genetic test for veterans with PTSD
(Photo: Provided)
25 CONNECTTWEET 16 LINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE
Veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorders and other mental illnesses could soon find relief, thanks to a fast-growing Mason startup
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, this week visited Assurex Health to hold a town hall meeting and learn more about the company's genetic tests that help doctors prescribe the right medication for patients suffering from mental health disorders and chronic pain.
The personalized medicine startup, which operates out of the Mason Community Center, extracts and analyzes DNA from cheek swabs. Within 36 hours it sends a report through a secure portal to doctors, detailing which medications are most likely to be effective for individual patients, based on his or her genes.
Assurex celebrated a milestone last week with the administration of its 100,000th test. It hopes to test 1 million patients by 2018, said Gina Drosos, the company's CEO.
The privately held company has seen rapid growth in its GeneSight products since it launched out of Cincinnati Children's in 2006. The number of patients tested has doubled since 2012 and is on pace to double again in 2014, officials say.
More than 8,500 clinicians in the United States and Canada are registered to offer GeneSight, according to the company.
Assurex secured $32 million in new funding in May, including a $25 million bank loan led by GE Capital and an additional $7 million in investments from partners like CincyTech, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Sequoia Capital.
In June, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs awarded the company a federal contract as a government supplier, making the GeneSight Psychotropic test available for use in the VA's more than 1,400 facilities nationwide.
As many as 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and 30 percent of Vietnam veterans have PTSD, according to the VA's National Center for PTSD.
"The VA relationship is very important to us because it will help us serve veterans and help them to get on to the right medication for PTSD," said Drosos.
Company officials say Genesight tests reduce costs associated with health care and improve clinical outcomes.
"Prescribing a medication regimen that is more likely to succeed because it is tailored to an individual patient's genetic profile can help clinicians better manage each patient's disorder and improve clinical outcomes," Bryan Dechairo, the company's vice president of medical affairs and clinical development, said in a release.
Portman, who introduced a bill earlier this year that calls for mental health assessments of service members prior to enlistment, lauded the company's efforts and said the genetic test also holds promise for use in prison populations.
"It's going to be really helpful for those veterans, for their families. It also saves the taxpayers a lot of dollars because often the treatment is not successful," he said.
J R
