Physician FAQs

Navigenics’ analysis include two types of testing. Our Health Conditions panel scans DNA for genetic risk markers associated with a variety of both common and uncommon health conditions. Our Medications panel scans DNA for pharmacogenomic markers associated with drug outcomes, such as potential side effects or reduced effectiveness. In addition to genetic analysis, our services include access to board-certified Genetic Counselors for you and your patients and a personalized partnership to help you integrate preventive genomic medicine into your practice. Read more about our genetic testing services >

This field of clinical genetics analyzes the affect of genetic variation on an individual’s response to drugs. By associating genetic information with a drug’s effectiveness or toxicity, pharmacogenomics offers new methods for optimizing drug therapy using a patient’s genetic profile to help guide maximum efficacy with minimal adverse effects.

Thousands of patients suffer adverse drug reactions each year, and many patients take drugs that are not effective for them. Use your patients’ pharmacogenomic information to help make treatment decisions tailored for each individual.

Please visit our Conditions and Medication Responses page to find our complete list of health conditions and medication outcomes.

No. Navigenics simply requires 2 ml of saliva, which can be collected in your office, or a saliva collection kit can be ordered online and delivered to the patient’s home.

In order to capture as much relevant genetic information as possible, Navigenics uses a flexible genotyping platform called TaqMan® SNP Genotyping Assays. TaqMan allows us to probe DNA to search for a single base letter at a time, and makes highly targeted searches possible.

Navigenics guarantees we will report on all of the genetic markers that we've identified as relevant to the conditions included in our genetic testing services. This commitment to thorough genetic analysis distinguishes the Navigenics genetic testing services.

If you are ready to place an order for one of your patients, please contact our team at 650-585-5640. You will be set up with a physician ordering account and assigned to one of our board-certified Genetic Counselors who can prepare you for understanding frequently asked questions and interpreting your patients’ genetic test results.

At this time, Navigenics does not recommend our testing for any individual who has undergone a bone marrow transplant. Studies have demonstrated that DNA from bone a marrow donor can become mixed with the recipients DNA, even in saliva and mouthwash samples.  (Endler G, et al. Genetic fingerprinting in mouthwashes of patients after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 1999; 24: 95–98 and Thiede C, et al. Buccal swabs but not mouthwash samples can be used to obtain pretransplant DNA fingerprints from recipients of allogeneic bone marrow transplants. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2000 Mar;25(5):575-7).
 

SNP stands for single nucleotide polymorphism. Our genetic code, or DNA, is made up of long strings of nucleotides represented by A, T, C, G. These letters are arranged in a very specific order.  At some places in the genetic code people have different letters (one person may have a T, while another person may have a G). A particular variation, when known to be common throughout the population, is called a SNP (pronounced “snip”). We now know that having one letter in place of another can increase an individual’s risk for certain diseases or medication outcomes.

No, not necessarily. A SNP may represent a point mutation (meaning a known disease-causing variant in the genetic code). Individual disease-causing mutations are rare; they occur in less than one percent of the population. However, SNPs used to assess common diseases and medication outcomes, such as those in the Navigenics Health Compass and Annual Insight, are common variants found in more than one percent of the population. SNPs are most often thought of as “predisposition” genetic markers, not as disease causing genetic markers. 

No, Navigenics does not perform gene sequencing for diseases caused by single genes, such as Huntington’s disease or cystic fibrosis. Navigenics reports on the common genetic variations that contribute to multifactorial disease, meaning that the genetic variation is seen in approximately less than one percent of the population.

Your patients’ pharmacogenomic results for 12 medications will be added to their existing online results. The report will provide in-depth information for each drug including a summary of the drug, the individual’s risk of side effects or level of drug effectiveness, and clinical considerations. As with all Navigenics results, details about the individual’s specific genetic markers are available for each drug.
 

If your patient's results are low risk, this typically means that your patient has no increased risk based on his/her genetic markers. Moderate risk means that your patient has some increased risk based on his/her genetic markers, but does not have the maximum possible risk, based on his/her genetic markers. High risk means that your patient has greatly increased risk, based on his/her genetic markers.

For the health conditions we cover, personalized genomic assessment for common medical conditions is the ultimate in individualized medicine. Knowing where your patients’ genetic predispositions to disease are greatest can help both you and your patient focus on tailored medical management strategies such as earlier cancer screenings. It can also provide added motivation to make lifestyle changes, and in some cases, assist you in differential diagnosis.

For the drug interactions we cover, personalized pharmacogenomic results reveal your patient’s potential risks of serious adverse drug reactions or reduced drug effectiveness, allowing you to make clinical decisions that reduce risks and improve therapeutic outcomes before treatment starts.

Navigenics is focused on supporting physicians in providing their patients with the most personalized, preventive and highly focused care available today. We are partnering with leading physicians to introduce this cutting-edge technology into their practices now. For more information on our pilot programs, please contact us at 650-585-5640.

Navigenics is committed to advancing the field of preventive genomic medicine and making it a current standard of care. In addition to our pilot physician programs, Navigenics has established several research collaborations and educational programs with prominent medical institutions, including:

• An initiative with Scripps, Microsoft HealthVault, and Affymetrix to understand how people integrate this information into their lives and health care. This first-of-its-kind research study aims to find out the impact of how participating in personal genomic testing will improve health by motivating people to make positive lifestyle changes, such as exercising, eating healthy and quitting smoking, as well as decisions to seek further medical evaluation and preventive strategies.
• An ongoing study at Mayo Clinic to assess what service models are most effective for individuals receiving genomic risk assessment.
• A medical education program with the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) designed to improve physicians’ understanding of genetic risk factors for disease, the current evidence about the use of genomic tools and technologies to determine risk, and promising practices for utilizing those tools to aid in disease prevention.

Having physician involvement throughout the genetic analysis process is crucial to the level of benefit the patient will receive. Many patients, when offered the opportunity to speak with a board-certified Genetic Counselor, accept the offer and find the experience helpful.

Genetic counseling is included for our participating physicians and their patients at no additional charge.* Our genetic counseling sessions are usually set by by appointment and conducted by phone.

Our Genetic Counselors are here to facilitate your practice of personalized, preventive genomic medicine. They are masters-level trained healthcare specialists certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling, with expertise in medical genetics, risk communication, and strategies for helping people manage genetic information.

*If your patient's DNA sample is collected in the state of New York, state law may require that all patient conversations about results take place with you. But our Genetic Counselors remain available to consult with you as needed. Please contact our Genetic Counseling team for more information.

A list of common questions asked by patients about genetic analysis can be found here. In general, patients speak to their Genetic Counselor about their family history and personal medical history, as well as how to better understand their results and the appropriate next-steps.

Navigenics results are delivered to the physician via a secure and private physician web portal. From there, physicians can decide to release a version of the results, known as the Patient Portal, to the patient. A physician can also choose to print the patient’s profile to keep for the office records or provide to the patient for personal records. Navigenics provides access to our team of board-certified Genetic Counselors to both physicians and patients. Navigenics is happy to work with you to determine the best approach for your practice and patients.

Our genetic analysis services are expanding as scientific researchers continue to confirm new links between genetic risk markers and health. Our team of scientists and physicians monitors emerging medical and genetic research that affects the health conditions included in our genetic tests. Our researchers review the scientific literature about the conditions included in our genetic testing services, screening studies against our own rigorous internal standards and updating each patient’s report as new information is published.