The history of direct-to-consumer genomics tests goes something like this. Genomics startups first started offering hereditary tests that required a DNA sample and everyone quickly climbed on board without realizing just how much information they were handing over to people they didn’t really know that well. Eventually, testing companies started moving into DNA health tests and then the FDA […]
In a recent article, we talked about how the mythical “cure for cancer” doesn’t actually exist. There is no one-size-fits-all cure for the over 100 types of cancer out there, not to mention the advances being made in cancer genomics that show just how many unique variations of cancer there are. Everyone’s cancer is unique, and the […]
We’re not sure about other countries out there, but here in ‘Murica “curing cancer” is kind of a big deal. Everyone seems to think that there’s some magical potion that cures cancer. Some people think the “cure for cancer” is being hidden by “big pharma” so they can make billions of dollars on cancer treatments. […]
Of all the things that your doctor could tell you that might be a cause for alarm, hearing that you have late-stage cancer is probably one of the worst. We’ve all heard people talk about a “cure for cancer” when in fact there is no one single cure. However things are starting to look up […]
The term “cure for cancer” is misleading as it implies there is one single problem that needs to be solved in order to eradicate all cancers. This couldn’t be further from the truth. There are 5 main cancer groups which are further subdivided into more than 200 different types of cancer. There won’t be a single […]
We all roll our eyes when the time comes to call our doctor’s office for our yearly physical and what is worse, most of us postpone it because we feel great. This phenomenon is so common that it is actually referred to as “patient delay”, and now there may be a very compelling reason to […]
When we talk about cancer genetics, there are a lot of directions we can take so we need to define this broad topic. Firstly, it’s important to understand that cancer itself is a genetic disorder. What happens with cancer is that certain genetic mutations cause cells to start replicating uncontrollably resulting in tumors. How do […]
Offering genetic testing direct to consumers is big business, with both 23andMe and Ancestry.com doing very well for themselves as a result. Offering ancestry genetic tests direct to the consumer is one thing, but offering genetic testing for health reasons is an entirely different animal. A few years ago, 23andMe had to suspend all health-related […]
A Quick Overview of Foundation Medicine (NASDAQ:FMI) In a July 2013 article, we highlighted the proposed IPO of a cancer genomics company called Foundation Medicine (NASDAQ:FMI). Their flagship product, FoundationOne, provides a fully informative genomic profile obtained from a tumor sample which helps physicians make treatment decisions for patients with cancer. By identifying the molecular growth drivers of […]
In a recent article, we discussed a hereditary breast cancer test for women called the BRACAnalysis. Statistically, it seems that the majority of women would not benefit from taking this test. The BRACAnalysis genetic test is the leading revenue stream for the company that sells it, Myriad Genetics (NASDAQ:MYGN), but has been sharply decreasing over […]