GENinCode
Plc
("GENinCode" or the
"Company")
DISCOVER FH collaboration
with Family Heart Foundation®, UT Southwestern, and
Partners
LIPID
inCode®, tests patients to identify
familial hypercholesterolemia and prevent cardiovascular
disease
Oxford, UK - GENinCode Plc (AIM:
GENI), the genetics company focused on the prevention of
cardiovascular disease and ovarian cancer, announces its
collaboration with The Family Heart Foundation®, UT
Southwestern, and other partner members to use the LIPID
inCode® monogenic and polygenic test in US Primary and Secondary
Care settings for the diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia
("FH") with further information available to physicians for
polygenic hypercholesterolemia (high levels of cholesterol) and
coronary heart disease risk.
Supported by a US Department of
Defense grant, the DISCOVER FH1
mission is to "Research to improve early diagnosis of familial
hypercholesterolemia (FH) through family screening and the
implementation of diagnostic tools, including in the pediatric
population." LIPID inCode® is
the diagnostic tool used for identification of patients with
FH and cascade screening. Cascade screening is the process of
screening family members once a person is diagnosed with FH in
order to identify others who may be affected. This approach can
identify both adults and children early in life, allowing earlier
treatment with cholesterol-lowering therapies and reductions in the
risk of heart disease.
Individuals tested in the program
will be identified from two US healthcare
systems, UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Veteran Affairs
(VA) North Texas Health Care system. After an individual is
genetically confirmed to have FH, the Family Heart Foundation will
directly contact at-risk family members to educate them about their
risk for FH, the significance, and coordinate genetic
testing.
"Collaborating with GENinCode and
partners to implement FH testing brings us one step closer to
broader and more accessible cascade screening at a national level,
helping to save future generations from cardiovascular
disease," said Katherine Wilemon, Founder and CEO of Family Heart
Foundation. "Cascade screening is a
powerful, proven method to improve early diagnosis of FH and reduce
preventable heart attacks and strokes. Together, we are poised to
make this life-saving screening more accessible, ultimately
safeguarding the health of future generations and reducing the
burden of cardiovascular disease."
Professor Zahid Ahmed, Program Lead for DISCOVER FH
commented: "We are delighted to work
with GENinCode and implement LIPID inCode® for the diagnosis
and treatment familial hypercholesterolemia. The added benefit of
easy sample collection, improved test turnaround times at a reduced
cost will help us deliver the Lipid inCode test in our practice,
and we welcome this approach to help us deliver this first phase of
the plan to reduce the onset of cardiovascular
disease."
FH is an inherited
condition, affecting about 1 in every 250
individuals globally. If a person has FH, there is a 50% chance
that their children, siblings, and parents also carry the familial
variant. People with FH have extremely high low-density
lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C, aka "bad cholesterol") from birth
which dramatically increases their risk of atherosclerotic
cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) at a young age. ASCVD is
cardiovascular disease as a result of cholesterol deposits in the
arteries and includes heart attack, angina, the need for stents and
bypass surgery, stroke, peripheral artery disease, and even sudden
cardiac death. Fortunately, treatment with cholesterol-lowering
drugs can significantly reduce this risk.
Unfortunately, less than 30% of
people with FH in the US have been identified, despite the efforts
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to
prioritize FH for early detection, cascade screening, and proactive
treatment with cholesterol-lowering drugs. Furthermore,
people with FH and their families have recognized
the missed opportunities when families are not screened for
FH. The standard of care for cascade
screening in the US relies on healthcare providers educating FH
patients on the importance of family screening with no ability to
ensure this screening happens. The Family Heart Foundation is
uniquely positioned to serve as a centralized coordinating office
to assist and support families in need regardless of geographic
location.
Establishing an effective cascade
screening strategy in the US is urgent. Without it, up to 1 million
individuals with FH may remain undiagnosed and untreated, putting
them at heightened risk for heart attacks, surgical interventions,
and premature death. These outcomes not only devastate families,
but also impose significant costs on the healthcare system and
society, particularly as heart disease linked to FH often affects
younger individuals.
In the UK around 7.6m people live
with heart and circulatory disease, which causes 25% of all deaths
annually. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) can be reduced by
identifying and treating individuals at risk, and the UK National
Health Service 10 Year Plan (2019) sets out to address CVD
prevention, including identifying individuals with familial
hypercholesterolemia.
Matthew Walls, CEO of GENinCode PLC said:
"The collaboration with the Family Heart
Foundation continues to expand the use of LIPID inCode testing to
identify patients at high risk of heart disease representing the
largest cause of death globally. We are now extending
implementation of LIPID inCode to other US institutions for the
roll-out and adoption of our leading polygenic test. We look
forward to supporting the Family Heart Foundation in reaching its
long-term goal to diagnose patients with familial
hypercholesterolemia and provide earlier risk assessment of CVD to
improve health outcomes."
1.
DIrect SCreening Of RelatiVEs to Reveal FH (DISCOVER FH)
For
more information visit www.genincode.com
Enquiries:
GENinCode Plc
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www.genincode.com
or via Walbrook PR
|
Matthew Walls, CEO
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Cavendish Capital Markets Limited
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Tel: +44
(0)20 7397 8900
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Giles Balleny / Dan Hodkinson
(Corporate Finance)
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Nigel Birks / Harriet Ward
(Corporate Broking)
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Dale Bellis / Michael Johnson
(Sales)
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Walbrook PR Limited
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Anna Dunphy / Louis Ashe-Jepson /
Phillip Marriage
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Tel: 020
7933 8780 or genincode@walbrookpr.com
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About GENinCode:
GENinCode Plc is a UK based company
specialising in genetic risk assessment and prevention of
cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause
of death and disability worldwide.
GENinCode operates business units in
the UK, Europe through GENinCode S.L.U, and in the United States
through GENinCode U.S. Inc.
GENinCode predictive technology
provides patients and physicians with globally leading preventive
care and treatment strategies. GENinCode CE marked
invitro-diagnostic molecular tests combine clinical algorithms and
bioinformatics to provide advanced patient risk assessment to
predict and prevent cardiovascular disease.
About LIPID
inCode®
The LIPID inCode® monogenic and
polygenic test is now being clinically implemented in United States
Primary and Secondary Care settings for the diagnosis of familial
hypercholesterolemia ("FH") with further information available to
physicians for polygenic hypercholesterolemia (high levels of
cholesterol) and coronary heart disease risk. GENinCode delivers
LIPID inCode® internationally using its 'cloud based' SITAB system
which includes detailed genetic variant classification enabling the
rapid turnaround of test results (10-15 days) at reduced cost to
healthcare systems.
About Cardiovascular Disease (CVD):
Heart and circulatory disease also
known as cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death
globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year.
CVD is a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels
that include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease,
rheumatic heart disease and other conditions. More than four out of
five CVD deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes, and one third
of these deaths occur prematurely in people under 70 years of
age.
The most important behavioural risk
factors of heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical
inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol. The effects of
behavioural risk factors may show up in individuals as raised blood
pressure, raised blood glucose, raised blood lipids, and overweight
and obesity. These "intermediate risks factors" can be measured in
primary care facilities and indicate an increased risk of heart
attack, stroke, heart failure and other complications.
Identifying those at highest risk of
CVDs and ensuring they receive appropriate treatment can prevent
premature deaths. Access to noncommunicable disease medicines
and basic health technologies in all primary health care facilities
is essential to ensure that those in need receive treatment and
counselling.
About Family Heart Foundation
The Family Heart
Foundation® is a nonprofit
research and advocacy organization. The Foundation is a pioneer in
the application of real-world evidence, patient-driven advocacy,
and multi-stakeholder education to help prevent heart attacks and
strokes caused by familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and high
lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), two common genetic disorders that have an
impact across generations. The Family Heart Foundation conducts
innovative research to break down barriers to diagnosis and
management of inherited lipid disorders; educates patients,
providers, and policy makers; advocates for change; and provides
hope and support for families impacted by heart disease and stroke
caused by FH, HoFH, and high Lp(a). The organization was founded in
2011 as the FH Foundation. For more information,
visit FamilyHeart.org and
follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn,
#KnowLpa.