Skip to main content
Premium Trial:

Request an Annual Quote

AssureRx Updates GeneSightRx Panel with New Gene: CYP1A2

Premium

Originally published March 8.

AssureRx has added a fifth gene, CYP1A2, to its laboratory-developed pharmacogenomic test GeneSightRx, the company announced this week.

GeneSightRx, which also analyzes CYP2D6, CYP2C19, the serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4, and the serotonin 2A receptor gene 5HTR2A, operates on the Luminex 200 platform using the xTag process. When AssureRx first launched the test in late 2009, the company described it as a "multivariate, algorithmic, interpretive" test that will guide psychiatric treatment decisions [see PGx Reporter 10-27-2009].

According to the company, GeneSightRx analyzes more than forty gene variants that affect patients' response to certain psychiatric drugs, including antidepressants and antipsychotics.

"GeneSightRx integrates the analysis of genes and their many variations to obtain an evidence-based pharmacogenetic profile," the company notes. "The gene variations are further analyzed against 26 FDA-approved drugs to help physicians select patient-appropriate psychotropic medications."

According to PharmGKB, the online pharmacogenomics information database, CYP2A2 variations have been associated in studies with response to the antianxiety drug alpraxolam, the antidepressant citalopram, and the schizophrenia drug clozapin, among others.

The Mayo Clinic and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center were early-access users of GeneSightRx before its commercial launch.

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.