Myriad Genetics: Helping Patients Access Personalized Medicine.

AuthorRogers, Ron

Salt Lake City-based Myriad Genetics is one of the largest and most successful personalized medicine companies in the world; it aspires to save and improve patients' lives with pioneering molecular diagnostic tests. The company was founded in 1991--born as a spin-off from the University of Utah--a full decade before the human genome was published. Today, the company employs 2,800 people, with around half living and working in Salt Lake.

ENABLING PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

Since 1991, the company has pioneered multiple scientific discoveries including the discovery of the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 tumor suppressor genes, and commercialized molecular diagnostic tests that have made it possible to diagnose and treat a variety of diseases both earlier and with greater precision. Myriad is not waiting for personalized medicine to become a reality--they're making it a reality.

Personalized medicine refers to the field of medicine that uses specific biological markers to help assess which medical treatments and procedures will benefit each patient. Myriad uses its expertise in DNA, RNA, and protein biomarkers to develop tests that answer patients' four most pressing questions about disease:

  1. Will I get a disease?

  2. Do I have a disease?

  3. Should I treat this disease?

  4. How should I treat this disease?

The information generated by Myriad's tests help create a molecular profile of an individual that helps doctors and healthcare providers target the right treatment for a given patient. This targeted approach to treatment benefits not only patients but also improves overall efficiency in the healthcare system.

DIVERSE PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

Today, the company's product portfolio includes many first or best-in-class tests and is focused on six areas: autoimmune diseases, dermatology, neuroscience, oncology, urology, and women's health.

* BRACAnalysis CDx[R] is a test that determines if patients with ovarian and metastatic breast cancer are eligible for treatment with a class of drugs called PARP inhibitors.

* EndoPredict[R] helps women with early breast cancer determine if they can safely forgo chemotherapy and the associated side effects.

* Foresight[TM] identifies the carrier status of couples to determine the risk of hereditary conditions before conception.

* Genesight[R] psychotropic improves remission and response rates for patients with depression by identifying the most genetically optimal medications.

* The myRisk[R] hereditary cancer test identifies people at...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT