Trouble with prescriptions? A Michigan company uses your DNA to find the most effective treatment

By Max Goldwasser

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    KALAMAZOO, Michigan (WXMI) — “This is my husband’s favorite casserole,” Stacy Young explained to FOX 17 on a Friday afternoon in December. “It’s potato, kielbasa, cheese, onion and, like, a lot of butter.”

Young knows what it’s like to find that perfect recipe inside her Portage home. However, Young’s experience with food has been much different than with her health.

Young was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at 16 years old.

“It was Thanksgiving,” she said, “and I just got really sick one day. I’ve been dealing with it for — I’m 51.”

Crohn’s is a type of inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. It cannot be cured, although some can live with it nearly symptom-free.

That hasn’t been Young’s experience.

“It’s horrible,” she said. “It’s … it’s awful. It rips your life apart it. It’s very, very painful.”

That pain led to other problems. Young said she started to suffer from severe anxiety and depression.

“Last time, when I had my final surgery, my mind believed that it was okay to die,” she told FOX 17.

To no surprise, Young takes prescription drugs to address her condition. That’s the reality for about 66 percent of adults in the U.S., according to a survey from the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University.

The Food and Drug Administration reports medication is not taken as prescribed about 50 percent of the time.

Even for people who follow their doctors’ orders, the drugs they are taking may not be best suited for them.

All of that can lead to worsening symptoms, hospitalization or even death.

In fact, an article published in the National Library of Medicine said Adverse Drug Reactions, or ADRs, are between the fourth and sixth leading causes of death worldwide. That’s right behind heart disease, cancer and stroke.

For years, Young and her physician had been searching for the right combination to curb her psychological symptoms.

“It’s been a long time,” Young said. “We just kept throwing shots in the air trying different things. You know, of course, I’m in therapy, different medicines, nothing was working. Then we — this test came along.”

“Would you say this test changed your life?” FOX 17 asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

It’s called pharmacogenomic testing, or PGx. The team at Genemarkers in Kalamazoo has been using it since 2014.

Anna Langerveld, the company’s CEO, explained the process.

“It’s a test that allows us to take a sample of someone’s DNA from their cheek,” Langerveld said. “It’s a simple cheek swab. We can look at mutations in different genes that are associated with, or that direct the regulation of medications.”

The National Library of Medicine defines pharmacogenomic testing as “the study of how your genes affect the way your body responds to certain medicines.”

Stephanie Wheeler, Genemarkers’ clinical testing specialist, elaborated on that definition.

“So, if someone metabolizes that medicine too quickly, or too slowly, then they either are at risk for that medicine not working or not giving them any therapeutic benefit, or that drug building up in their system and then they’re at risk for side effects,” Wheeler said.

Genemarkers takes your DNA and tests for 56 possible mutations in 20 genes. Those results, which Wheeler said are more than 99 percent accurate, are then reported to your health care provider within 7–10 days.

“Sort of has, like, a little summary table of yes or no, you had this mutation, list of all the mutations we tested for, and then a table of all the medications that are covered on our test and if it should be, you know, recommended, use with caution or consider [an] alternative,” she said.

Genemarkers’ PGx test can predict how you might respond to 84 different medications, dealing with allergies, heart disease and pain, to name a few.

They also look at psychotropic medications — ones that treat your mental health, like in Young’s case.

“For me, it came back that there was just one specific medication that was going to help, and it did,” Young said. “It was just, really … I was gobsmacked, to be honest with you. And it’s still working.”

Some experts, like Board-Certified Psychiatric Dr. Charles Nemeroff, caution against the use of PGx in that specific mental health setting.

“The problem with psychiatry is we don’t really understand what the molecular or biological causes of these diseases are,” Dr. Nemeroff said. “So, we don’t have a basic understanding of the causes of our disorders to a level that would allow us to develop these tests.”

Even Nemeroff admitted PGx can be effective in anticipating side effects.

Genemarkers said their test is now covered by Medicare and some insurances.

Also, they ensured their patients’ privacy is never at risk.

“We destroy the sample after the test is reported,” Langerveld said. “We do not share anybody’s information. We don’t sell it to any third parties.”

Genemarkers is licensed to receive swab samples from all 50 states, helping hundreds of people, like Young, find their ideal medical formula — that perfect recipe.

“[I’m] Just happier,” Young said. “I don’t have as many worries so quickly. Not as uptight — I’m very uptight all the time — but I’m not as uptight and just happier.”

She added, “It’s just an amazing experiment that somebody figured out and it’s life changing. Really is.”

Genemarkers said widespread acceptance of pharmacogenomic testing in healthcare has been slower than expected, but it’s only increasing.

If you’re interested in learning more, Langerveld said you should either talk to your healthcare provider or call Genemarkers directly at (844) 220-6231.

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