REG - GENinCode PLC - Collaboration with The Family Heart Foundation

GenincodeAnnouncement

20/09/2024 07:45

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RNS Number : 0251F  GENinCode PLC  20 September 2024

GENinCode Plc

("GENinCode" or the "Company")

 

DISCOVER FH collaboration with Family Heart Foundation®, UT Southwestern, and
Partners

LIPID inCode®, tests patients to identify familial hypercholesterolemia and
prevent cardiovascular disease

 

Oxford, UK - GENinCode Plc (AIM: GENI), the genetics company focused on the
prevention of cardiovascular disease and ovarian cancer, announces its
collaboration with The Family Heart Foundation®, UT  Southwestern,  and
other partner members to use the LIPID inCode® monogenic and polygenic test
in US Primary and Secondary Care settings for the diagnosis of familial
hypercholesterolemia ("FH") with further information available to physicians
for polygenic hypercholesterolemia (high levels of cholesterol) and coronary
heart disease risk.

 

Supported by a US Department of Defense grant, the DISCOVER FH(1) mission is
to "Research to improve early diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH)
through family screening and the implementation of diagnostic tools, including
in the pediatric population." LIPID inCode® is the diagnostic tool used for
identification of patients with FH and cascade screening. Cascade screening is
the process of screening family members once a person is diagnosed with FH in
order to identify others who may be affected. This approach can identify both
adults and children early in life, allowing earlier treatment with
cholesterol-lowering therapies and reductions in the risk of heart disease.

Individuals tested in the program will be identified from two US healthcare
systems, UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Veteran Affairs (VA) North
Texas Health Care system. After an individual is genetically confirmed to have
FH, the Family Heart Foundation will directly contact at-risk family members
to educate them about their risk for FH, the significance, and coordinate
genetic testing.

 

"Collaborating with GENinCode and partners to implement FH testing brings us
one step closer to broader and more accessible cascade screening at a national
level, helping to save future generations from cardiovascular disease," said
Katherine Wilemon, Founder and CEO of Family Heart Foundation. "Cascade
screening is a powerful, proven method to improve early diagnosis of FH and
reduce preventable heart attacks and strokes. Together, we are poised to make
this life-saving screening more accessible, ultimately safeguarding the health
of future generations and reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease."

 

Professor Zahid Ahmed, Program Lead for DISCOVER FH commented: "We are
delighted to work with GENinCode  and implement LIPID inCode® for the
diagnosis and treatment familial hypercholesterolemia. The added benefit of
easy sample collection, improved test turnaround times at a reduced cost will
help us deliver the Lipid inCode test in our practice, and we welcome this
approach to help us deliver this first phase of the plan to reduce the onset
of cardiovascular disease."

 

FH is an inherited condition, affecting about 1 in every 250 individuals
globally. If a person has FH, there is a 50% chance that their children,
siblings, and parents also carry the familial variant. People with FH have
extremely high low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C, aka "bad
cholesterol") from birth which dramatically increases their risk of
atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) at a young age. ASCVD is
cardiovascular disease as a result of cholesterol deposits in the arteries and
includes heart attack, angina, the need for stents and bypass surgery, stroke,
peripheral artery disease, and even sudden cardiac death. Fortunately,
treatment with cholesterol-lowering drugs can significantly reduce this risk.

 

Unfortunately, less than 30% of people with FH in the US have been identified,
despite the efforts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to
prioritize FH for early detection, cascade screening, and proactive treatment
with cholesterol-lowering drugs. Furthermore, people with FH and their
families have recognized the missed opportunities when families are not
screened for FH. The standard of care for cascade screening in the US relies
on healthcare providers educating FH patients on the importance of family
screening with no ability to ensure this screening happens. The Family Heart
Foundation is uniquely positioned to serve as a centralized coordinating
office to assist and support families in need regardless of geographic
location.

 

Establishing an effective cascade screening strategy in the US is urgent.
Without it, up to 1 million individuals with FH may remain undiagnosed and
untreated, putting them at heightened risk for heart attacks, surgical
interventions, and premature death. These outcomes not only devastate
families, but also impose significant costs on the healthcare system and
society, particularly as heart disease linked to FH often affects younger
individuals.

In the UK around 7.6m people live with heart and circulatory disease, which
causes 25% of all deaths annually. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) can be reduced
by identifying and treating individuals at risk, and the UK National Health
Service 10 Year Plan (2019) sets out to address CVD prevention, including
identifying individuals with familial hypercholesterolemia.

 

Matthew Walls, CEO of GENinCode PLC said: "The collaboration with the Family
Heart Foundation continues to expand the use of LIPID inCode testing to
identify patients at high risk of heart disease representing the largest cause
of death globally. We are now extending implementation of LIPID inCode to
other US institutions for the roll-out and adoption of our leading polygenic
test. We look forward to supporting the Family Heart Foundation in reaching
its long-term goal to diagnose patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and
provide earlier risk assessment of CVD to improve health outcomes."

 

(1.     ) DIrect SCreening Of RelatiVEs to Reveal FH (DISCOVER FH)

For more information visit www.genincode.com (http://www.genincode.com)

Enquiries:

 GENinCode Plc                      www.genincode.com (http://www.genincode.com) or via Walbrook PR
 Matthew Walls, CEO

 Cavendish Capital Markets Limited  Tel: +44 (0)20 7397 8900
 Giles Balleny / Dan Hodkinson (Corporate Finance)
 Nigel Birks / Harriet Ward (Corporate Broking)
 Dale Bellis / Michael Johnson (Sales)

 Walbrook PR Limited
 Anna Dunphy / Louis Ashe-Jepson / Phillip Marriage                   Tel: 020 7933 8780 or genincode@walbrookpr.com
                                                                      (mailto:genincode@walbrookpr.com)

 

About GENinCode:

GENinCode Plc is a UK based company specialising in genetic risk assessment
and prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is the
leading cause of death and disability worldwide.

 

GENinCode operates business units in the UK, Europe through GENinCode S.L.U,
and in the United States through GENinCode U.S. Inc.

 

GENinCode predictive technology provides patients and physicians with globally
leading preventive care and treatment strategies. GENinCode CE marked
invitro-diagnostic molecular tests combine clinical algorithms and
bioinformatics to provide advanced patient risk assessment to predict and
prevent cardiovascular disease.

 

About LIPID inCode®

The LIPID inCode® monogenic and polygenic test is now being clinically
implemented in United States Primary and Secondary Care settings for the
diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia ("FH") with further information
available to physicians for polygenic hypercholesterolemia (high levels of
cholesterol) and coronary heart disease risk. GENinCode delivers LIPID
inCode® internationally using its 'cloud based' SITAB system which includes
detailed genetic variant classification enabling the rapid turnaround of test
results (10-15 days) at reduced cost to healthcare systems.

 

About Cardiovascular Disease (CVD):

Heart and circulatory disease also known as cardiovascular disease (CVD) is
the leading cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives
each year. CVD is a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels that
include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart
disease and other conditions. More than four out of five CVD deaths are due to
heart attacks and strokes, and one third of these deaths occur prematurely in
people under 70 years of age.

 

The most important behavioural risk factors of heart disease and stroke are
unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol.
The effects of behavioural risk factors may show up in individuals as raised
blood pressure, raised blood glucose, raised blood lipids, and overweight and
obesity. These "intermediate risks factors" can be measured in primary care
facilities and indicate an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, heart
failure and other complications.

 

Identifying those at highest risk of CVDs and ensuring they receive
appropriate treatment can prevent premature deaths. Access to noncommunicable
disease medicines and basic health technologies in all primary health care
facilities is essential to ensure that those in need receive treatment and
counselling.

 

About Family Heart Foundation

The Family Heart Foundation(®) is a nonprofit research and advocacy
organization. The Foundation is a pioneer in the application of real-world
evidence, patient-driven advocacy, and multi-stakeholder education to help
prevent heart attacks and strokes caused by familial hypercholesterolemia (FH)
and high lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), two common genetic disorders that have an
impact across generations. The Family Heart Foundation conducts innovative
research to break down barriers to diagnosis and management of inherited lipid
disorders; educates patients, providers, and policy makers; advocates for
change; and provides hope and support for families impacted by heart disease
and stroke caused by FH, HoFH, and high Lp(a). The organization was founded in
2011 as the FH Foundation. For more information, visit FamilyHeart.org
(https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefhfoundation.org%2Four-mission%2Four-promise-and-impact&esheet=54124302&newsitemid=20240919570296&lan=en-US&anchor=FamilyHeart.org&index=3&md5=8d192bc58f872dfbaec97a578697c686)
 and follow us on Twitter
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, Facebook
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, #KnowLpa.

 

 

 

 

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