This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
AHA: Genetic testing for CVD expected in ‘near future’
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Genetic susceptibility testing for the prevention and treatment of CVD is expected to be possible for individuals, families and populations in the near future, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.
“We are on the precipice of further expansion to sequencing the whole genome of patients and large population cohorts to detect additional and rare variants predisposing to disease,” the statement authors wrote in Circulation. “The next 5-year period will be consumed with mining the wealth of data that will be generated by this next phase of research.”
The scientific statement discussed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in the areas of CAD, ischemic stroke, coronary calcium, carotid intima-media thickness and carotid plaque, hypertension, lipids, diabetes and inflammation. The paper outlined the genetics of adverse drug reactions and diminished efficacy in drugs such as clopidogrel and warfarin, and discussed customization of these drugs through pharmacogenetic-adjusted dosing.
“We anticipate that in the near future we will determine genetically based disease susceptibility within individuals, families and populations,” the authors wrote.
The statement established goals and recommendations needed to harness and maximize the use of genetics for optimized care. The recommendations include:
- Promoting research to further the use of genomics to prevent and treat CVD and stroke;
- Finding functional applications for this research by characterizing genetic and environmental variants across populations;
- Developing implementation research to systematically evaluate the utility of genetic screening and planning for effective genetic screening programs;
- Educating the workforce to better understand genetic screening for CVD and stroke, specifically by incorporating genetics in graduate school curricula and by training researchers on computational biology and statistical genetics.
Disclosure: See the full statement for a list of the authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts