Allelica's polygenic risk score data published in Circulation

Identifies people at high risk of heart attack despite average LDL cholesterol levels

2021-03-08

(Press-News.org) Rome, Italy, March 8, 2021 - Allelica, a leading genomics software company specialising in developing polygenic risk scores (PRS) for personalised medicine, today announced publication of a study in Circulation (Vol. 143, Issue 10) showing that the effect of LDL cholesterol on a person's risk of having a heart attack depends on their genes. Using Allelica's proprietary PRS analysis software, the data showed that combining information on an individual's genetic risk of heart attack with their LDL level helps determine those at most risk from heart attack, including those potentially in need of treatment with statins or PCSK9 inhibitors. The PRS was also able to identify individuals eligible for therapeutic intervention based on current guidelines, which do not include polygenic risk, but who are in fact at low risk of heart attack based on their genes and LDL levels, so could potentially avoid treatment. A PRS is a measurement of a person's risk of disease based on their genes and is based on combining the effects of a large number of genetic variants across the genome.

By demonstrating that an individual's risk of heart attack depends on an interaction between LDL cholesterol and PRS, Allelica's research suggests that assessing LDL cholesterol on its own, as it is currently done, is at best inaccurate and at worst potentially dangerous for the more than 10% of the entire primary prevention population who have a high PRS and yet are invisible to current, non-genetic risk assessments.

"Our research shows that it's not enough to know about traditional risk factors to accurately assess someone's risk of heart attack. You need to know their genetic risk too," said Dr George Busby, CSO of Allelica. "The optimal level of LDL cholesterol needed to have normal risk of heart attack differs depending on your polygenic predisposition for heart attack."

Allelica has built digital tools for estimating an individual's PRS for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). The PRS is based on the latest bioinformatics technology together with genetic data from around 408,000 individuals from the UK Biobank. The study published in Circulation showed that individuals with both average LDL levels (130-160 mg/dL) and high PRS have equivalent risk of suffering from a heart attack as people with hypercholesterolemia (>190mg/dL) and average PRS. People with hypercholesterolemia are usually prescribed statins, based on current clinical guidelines. The research also showed that people with high polygenic scores for CAD can reduce their risk of disease to the population average by maintaining optimal LDL levels ( END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Irrigation management key for bioenergy production to mitigate climate change

2021-03-08

To avoid a substantial increase in water scarcity, biomass plantations for energy production need sustainable water management, a new study shows. Bioenergy is frequently considered one of the options to reduce greenhouse gases for achieving the Paris climate goals, especially if combined with capturing the CO2 from biomass power plants and storing it underground. Yet growing large-scale bioenergy plantations worldwide does not just require land, but also considerable amounts of freshwater for irrigation - which can be at odds with respecting Earth's ...

Diphtheria risks becoming major global threat again as it evolves antimicrobial resistance

2021-03-08

Diphtheria - a relatively easily-preventable infection - is evolving to become resistant to a number of classes of antibiotics and in future could lead to vaccine escape, warn an international team of researchers from the UK and India. The researchers, led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, say that the impact of COVID-19 on diphtheria vaccination schedules, coupled with a rise in the number of infections, risk the disease once more becoming a major global threat. Diphtheria is a highly contagious infection that can affect the nose and throat, and sometimes the skin. If left untreated it can prove fatal. In the UK and other high-income countries, babies are vaccinated against ...

Cardiac arrest from opioid overdose has unique features affecting prevention and treatment

2021-03-08

DALLAS, March 8, 2021 -- Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests triggered by opioid overdose are a significant cause of death among adults 25 to 64, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association, the nation's largest voluntary health organization focused on heart and brain health for all. The statement published today in the Association's flagship journal Circulation. In the U.S., opioid use disorder affects an estimated 2 million people each year and costs more than $78 billion in health care expenses. The opioid epidemic, ...

Stroke affecting the eye requires immediate treatment, can signal future vascular events

2021-03-08

DALLAS, March 8, 2021 - While most people think of strokes affecting the brain, they can also affect the eye. Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is a rare form of acute ischemic stroke that occurs when blood flow is blocked to the main artery of the eye. It typically causes painless, immediate vision loss in the impacted eye, with fewer than 20% of people regaining functional vision in that eye. Today, the American Heart Association published a new scientific statement, "Management of Central Retinal Artery Occlusion," in Stroke, an American Heart Association ...

Immune cells in cerebrospinal fluid predict response to immunotherapy

2021-03-08

The analysis of immune cells infiltrating cerebrospinal fluid enables the characterization of the tumor microenvironment in brain metastases. Findings reported today in Nature Communications* confirm that these cells recapitulate the characteristics of those detected in brain metastases, and could act as novel and non-invasive biomarkers to predict patient responsiveness to immune-based therapies. Results from a study led by Joan Seoane, Director of Preclinical and Translational Research co-program at VHIO and ICREA Professor, show that immune cells accessing cerebrospinal fluid faithfully recapitulate the characteristics of cells identified in brain metastasis, and could therefore constitute novel ...

Virtual avatar coaching with community context for adult-child dyads

2021-03-08

Philadelphia, March 8, 2021 - Virtual reality avatar-based coaching shows promise to increase access to and extend the reach of nutrition education programs to children at risk for obesity, according to a new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier. Researchers introduced 15 adult-child dyads to a virtual avatar-based coaching program that incorporated age-specific information on growth; physical, social, and emotional development; healthy lifestyles; common nutrition concerns; and interview questions around eating behaviors and food resources and counseling. "We developed a virtual reality avatar computer program ...

Globalization of cancer clinical trials linked to lower enrollment of Black patients

2021-03-08

For the drug approval process in the United States, investigators have been expanding clinical trials to sites outside the country. However, a new study indicates that this trend may be widening racial disparities in patient enrollment in cancer clinical trials. The study is published by Wiley early online in END ...

Drug to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder in women of 'very limited use'

2021-03-08

An independent analysis of the medical trials which formed the final basis of approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) strongly suggests the drug bremelanotide has very limited effectiveness as a treatment for hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in women, and that trial participants preferred a placebo. The analysis, published today in the peer-reviewed Journal of Sex Research, also highlights issues with the validity of HSDD as a diagnosis. The condition was removed from the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) in 2013. Professor Glen Spielmans, of Metropolitan State University, USA, examined data from bremelanotide's FDA New Drug Application, ...

Investigating youth suicides among children involved with the welfare system

2021-03-08

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 5 to 21 years in the United States. Between 2010 and 2019, suicide rates among this group increased 40%. Youth involved in the child welfare system experience an even greater risk of suicidal behavior, yet research on this vulnerable population is minimal. To better understand and prevent suicide in this at-risk group, researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital conducted the first study to compare characteristics and health service utilization patterns of youth suicide decedents (those ...

Study suggests wearing a face mask during intense exercise is safe for healthy people

2021-03-08

Wearing a protective face mask has only a modest effect on the ability of healthy people to do vigorous exercise, according to a study published today (Monday) in the European Respiratory Journal [1]. Researchers carried out detailed testing on breathing, heart activity and exercise performance in a group of 12 people while they were using an exercise bike with and without a mask. Although they found differences in some measurements between wearing a mask and not wearing a mask, they say that none of their results indicate any risk to health. This suggests that masks could be worn safely during intense exercise, for example to reduce COVID-19 transmission between ...

Groundbreaking cancer therapy clinical trial with US Department of Energy’s accelerator-produced actinium-225 set to begin this summer

Tens of thousands of heart attacks and strokes could be avoided each year if cholesterol-lowering drugs were used according to guidelines

Leading cancer and metabolic disease expert Michael Karin joins Sanford Burnham Prebys

Low-intensity brain stimulation may restore neuron health in Alzheimer's disease

[Press-News.org] Allelica's polygenic risk score data published in Circulation
Identifies people at high risk of heart attack despite average LDL cholesterol levels

Allelica's polygenic risk score data published in Circulation

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: