Research conducted by Coriell Institute and The Ohio State University (OSU) was featured by a major medical news outlet and also took center stage at a top genetics conference earlier this month.
An article titled "Genetic Counseling Encourages Physicians to Act," published by Medscape Medical News, presented initial findings from a personalized medicine partnership that aligns the Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative (CPMC) research center with OSU.
The piece focuses on a segment of approximately 200 patients enrolled in the CPMC study with access to comprehensive risk reports for a variety of diseases and drug reactions, including prostate cancer, lupus and clopidogrel (commonly known as Plavix) response. These reports detail the genetic, behavioral and lifestyle factors that play a part in the development of complex disease.
A subset of patients discussed results with genetic counselors, who in turn provided OSU physicians with an electronic medical record that could be readily consulted during diagnosis. The study ultimately determined physicians are more likely to consider genetic influence and pursue preventive clinical actions when a patient has consulted a genetic counselor.
"This study is significant because it gives us some insight into how physicians may use genomic information, and because it lends further support to the valuable role genetic counselors can play on the clinical care team," says Coriell's Tara Schmidlen, MS, CGC, a genetic counselor focused on the CPMC study.
Kevin Sweet, MS, associate professor of genetic counseling at OSU and a key project stakeholder, presented the results in late October at the American Society of Human Genetics 2014 annual meeting in San Diego. The summit is an opportunity for the world's leading genetics experts to gather and exchange ideas.
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