MADISON, N.J., July 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest
Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic
information services, today announced the launch of QHerit™, a new
genetic screening service that provides women and men with insight
into their genetic risk of passing on heritable disorders to their
offspring.
The QHerit Pan-Ethnic Expanded Carrier Screen is a panel of
tests for the 22 heritable diseases cited under new screening
guidelines issued in March 2017 by
the American College of Gynecology (ACOG). Carrier screening
provides physicians and individuals with genetic information on the
likelihood and potential impact of passing on inherited genetic
disorders.
"The United States is truly a
melting pot, and it no longer makes sense for physicians to assume
genetic screening is appropriate for an individual based on
presumed race or ethnicity. QHerit is designed for any woman and
her partner, not just those in a specific, so-called high-risk
ethnic or racial group," said Felicitas Lacbawan, MD,
executive medical director, advanced diagnostics, Quest
Diagnostics. "We carefully designed our new QHerit screening test
to provide highly accurate insights about heritable risk in a wide
variety of patients. It complements our menu of innovations in
women's health, with tests that provide insights at every age and
stage of a woman's life, including when she and her partner are
considering starting a family."
Starting today, obstetricians and gynecologists, primary care
physicians and other women's health specialists can order the
QHerit screening test across the United
States. For more information visit: www.QHerit.com.
A screening test for all couples
Traditionally,
genetic carrier screening has been used for at-risk populations
based on specific ancestry assumptions, and focused on only a few
likely disorders with higher prevalence associated with that
ethnicity. In its new guidelines, ACOG recommends offering
pan-ethnic, expanded carrier and ethnic-specific screening for all
women considering pregnancy, noting that "...particular disorders
are less likely to be confined only to a specific high-risk ethnic
group because of the increasing frequency of ethnic admixture of
reproductive partners. Additionally, the partner of a woman who
tests positive may also be considered a candidate for
screening."
The new ACOG guidelines recognize the changing socio-demographic
factors in America. A recent Pew Research study found that 17
percent of newly married people in 2015 chose partners from a
different race or ethnicity. While growth was most pronounced in
African Americans, individuals who are Asian or Hispanic are the
most likely to have an interracial marriage. To ensure that
screening provides information that is insightful and actionable,
QHerit focuses on screening patients based on ACOG guidelines.
These include screening for clinically relevant variants with genes
for disorders that could have potentially devastating consequences,
result in early death, or create a need for significant early
intervention.
Screening for disorders identified in new recommendations now
available
Although disorders such as cystic fibrosis, sickle
cell disease, thalassemia, and Tay-Sachs disease are relatively
well-known, QHerit also identifies lesser known genetic mutations
linked to other heritable conditions such as Joubert Syndrome 2 and
Fragile X syndrome.
QHerit also includes screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy
(SMA), which ACOG first cited in its March
2017 guidelines as a genetic condition that should be
subject to screening in all women. Prior to that, ACOG recommended
SMA screening only for those with heightened risk, such as family
background. About one in every 6,000 to 10,000 babies worldwide is
born with the neuromuscular condition.
QHerit includes the evaluation of hemoglobinopathies per the new
ACOG guidelines. QHerit includes 99 percent of variants identified
through Beta-globin sequencing testing at Quest.
"It is critical that we expand our dialogue with patients who
are considering pregnancy to include a discussion on expanded
genetic carrier screening. Screening with QHerit allows us to
follow a guidelines-recommended approach to counsel our patients on
their risk of passing on heritable genetic diseases and their
options in planning and the preconception," said Jeff Dlott, MD, medical director, Quest
Diagnostics.
Quest Diagnostics is a leader in women's health, with a broad
range of prenatal testing options and hundreds of tests, from
routine screenings to highly specialized genetic tests, to support
women's health at all ages. QHerit may be ordered by physicians as
a component in the spectrum of testing, including pregnancy
confirmatory testing, a general health screening panel,
non-invasive prenatal screening, and maternal serum screening, that
supports healthy pregnancies.
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve
health outcomes. Derived from the world's largest database of
clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to
identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve
health care management. Quest annually serves one in three adult
Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 43,000 employees
understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our
diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives.
www.QuestDiagnostics.com.
50th Anniversary: In 2017, Quest Diagnostics celebrates 50 years
of life-changing results. To learn about our legacy of
accomplishments and quest to improve healthcare in the future,
visit www.QuestDiagnostics.com/50Years
Quest, Quest Diagnostics, and all associated Quest Diagnostics
registered or unregistered trademarks are the property of Quest
Diagnostics. All third-party marks are the property of their
respective owners.
Contacts:
Kim Gorode,
Quest Diagnostics (Media): 973-520-2800
Shawn Bevec, Quest Diagnostics
(Investors): 973-520-2900
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SOURCE Quest Diagnostics