Genomic screening of the population creates a new paradigm in the prevention and early detection of diseases

• The latest studies in preventive genetics have confirmed the usefulness of genetic screening to identify people with an elevated  risk of developing a multitude of diseases

• Studies focused on the identification of pathologies such as hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, Lynch syndrome, cardiovascular disease, familial hypercholesterolemia, thrombophilia and other diseases whose early detection and treatment can significantly reduce morbidity and mortality.

• The most concerning result of these studies is the large number of people with elevated disease risk that would not have been identified utilizing current screening protocols.

Genomics has positioned itself as one of the key resources in the healthcare evolution from reactive to preventive medicine. Multiple studies have demonstrated the usefulness of genetic testing in the general population as a segmentation tool for common diseases. This strategy makes it possible to personalize the medical care of people at higher risk, providing them with the opportunity for prevention or early detection.

Since Watson and Crick discovered the structure of DNA in 1953, scientific and technological advances have made it possible to sequence an individual’s whole genome and apply clinical interpretation to the information which can prevent or minimize the development of many diseases.

2020, a key year for preventive genetics

2020 was an important year for preventive genomics because of several new  studies and articles that showed definitive findings reinforcing the importance of genetic screening information. According to the conclusions of the Healthy Nevada Project, a study of more than 27,000 people that  focused on the identification of genetic variants associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, Lynch syndrome familial hypercholesterolemia as well as other common diseases in the population, early detection and treatment can significantly reduce morbidity and mortality.

Another study, involving the Craig Venter Institute, a pioneer in the area of human genome sequencing, evaluated the utility of genome sequencing integration in conjunction with a comprehensive clinical study in more than 1,000 participants. The results showed that more than 17% of the participants had a genetic risk variant. This information is key to allow medical professionals to establish preventive and monitoring measures for their patients.

Insufficient screening

The most concerning result of these studies is the large number of people with elevated disease risk that would not have been identified utilizing current screening protocols. Genetic testing for hereditary pathology is mainly based on the patient’s family history, which has proven to not be a sufficiently effective segmentation tool. The reason is that the clinical guidelines for genetic testing are too restrictive and leave out many people at risk.

“These studies confirm the importance of genetic screening in the health care of the population and a paradigm shift in health, aimed at precision, preventive, predictive and personalized medicine,” says Dr. Luis Izquierdo, medical director of Veritas Intercontinental.

Since its founding, Veritas has promoted the sequencing of the whole genome and its clinical interpretation, not only for patients with suspected hereditary disease, but also for healthy people, with the aim of deepening the knowledge of the relationship between health, genetics and wellness. This initiative will make it possible to close a virtuous circle in health care, in which the more people that have their  genome sequenced, the more valuable and extrapolated will be the information available for both prevention and diagnosis of diseases.

About Veritas Intercontinental

Veritas Intercontinental was born in 2018 by Dr. Luis Izquierdo, Dr. Vicenzo Cirigliano and Javier de Echevarría, who accumulate extensive experience in the field of genetics, diagnostics and biotechnology, initially linked to Veritas Genetics, a company founded in 2014 by Prof. George Church, one of the pioneers in preventive medicine. Veritas was born with the aim of making genome sequencing and its clinical interpretation available to all citizens as a tool to prevent diseases and improve health and quality of life.

Since its inception, Veritas Intercontinental has led the activity and development of the Veritas market in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Japan; with the aim of turning genomics into a daily instrument at the service of people’s well-being.

Based on its leadership in the application of preventive genomic medicine (myGenome), Veritas Intercontinental has expanded its offering to other areas such as perinatal medicine (myPrenatal -NIPT- and myNewborn -neonatal screening-), oncology (myCancerRisk), or cardiovascular pathologies (myCardio), thus becoming the benchmark in advanced genomics services