NEW YORK & CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GenePeeks, Inc., a genetic information company focused on transforming genetic disease risk analysis, and Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York (RMA of New York), a leading Manhattan-based fertility center, announce their collaboration and the start of patient recruitment for a study evaluating the clinical performance of GenePeeks’ pre-conception risk prediction technology in comparison to expanded carrier screening. The study was launched to assess GenePeeks’ innovative approach to enhancing the current carrier screening paradigm, in an effort to decrease a future child’s risk for inheriting severe autosomal recessive diseases.
The study will enroll up to 200 patients and evaluate the effectiveness of GenePeeks technology in identifying risk of conceiving a child that could be affected by more than 1,000 severe pediatric diseases. After participants’ saliva samples are collected and sequenced using a next-generation sequencing platform, reproductive risk will be analyzed using these two different approaches: expanded carrier screening versus GenePeeks’ analytics. Investigators will compare the accuracies of the resulting risk profiles.
“We look forward to a rigorous examination of our predictive technology,” said Lee Silver, Ph.D., Co-founder of GenePeeks, Inc. and Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University. “This study will allow us to demonstrate the advantages of our approach, which aims to give families access to the incredible advances in human genomics that have occurred over the past decade.”
All people carry silent disease mutations that do not cause disease unless combined with another mutation in the same gene through the reproductive process. Carrier screening involves analysis of each prospective parent’s individual carrier status to determine whether they carry any of a predetermined list of genetic mutations. However, the existing focus on a relatively small number of historically observed “knock-out” mutations means that the vast majority of disease-causing mutations remain undetected in the carrier screening process.
In contrast, GenePeeks digitally combines the DNA information of prospective parents to create “Virtual Progeny” and evaluates their risk for more than 1,000 recessive genetic diseases associated with a wide variety of known and novel mutations that cause a spectrum of damage to the underlying gene. The company’s proprietary technology uses patented informatics to uncover disease risk that cannot be seen with existing screening tools.
“We are committed to providing highest-quality care for patients seeking reproductive assistance, and we are particularly interested in scientific advances that help protect families from serious diseases,” said Dr. Alan B. Copperman, Co-Director of RMA of New York. “We are pleased to collaborate with GenePeeks to evaluate the most effective methods for determining disease risk so our patients can make informed decisions about building families.”
About GenePeeks
GenePeeks is a genetic information company focused on identifying inherited disease risk in future generations. GenePeeks’ patented technology digitally combines the genetic information of two potential parents, simulating the complex genetic interactions that occur naturally in human reproduction. The company’s proprietary platform creates and analyzes thousands of Virtual Progeny to uncover disease risk that cannot be seen with alternative screening tools.
Using its patented platform, GenePeeks has developed a safe, non-invasive process for helping sperm and egg bank clients avoid donor matches that carry a high risk of passing on severe pediatric diseases. GenePeeks is now developing services for any family planning a pregnancy and using its expertise to conduct research to advance understanding of genetic disease and the effectiveness of pre-pregnancy risk prediction.
GenePeeks was founded by CEO Anne Morriss and Lee Silver, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University, to help families protect their future children from serious diseases. The company’s Executive Chair is Mara Aspinall, former CEO of Ventana Health Systems and former President of Genzyme Genetics. GenePeeks is privately held by Lifeprint Group, with offices in New York and Cambridge, Mass. For more information, visit www.genepeeks.com.
About Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York
Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York (RMA of New York) is widely recognized as a national and international leader in state-of-the-art reproductive medicine. Led by an integrated team of doctors and scientists with extensive reproductive endocrinology, fertility and urology experience and training, RMA of New York consistently reports IVF success rates to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is internationally recognized for achieving high success rates in the treatment of infertility.
RMA of New York maximizes access to care by helping patients explore all insurance coverage and financing options available for treatment. RMA of New York is sensitive to the needs of the LGBT community, women choosing single or same-sex motherhood, as well as women interested in elective fertility preservation. Headquartered in midtown Manhattan, RMA of New York has patient care facilities throughout New York City, as well as in Brooklyn, Garden City, Westchester, and abroad in Mexico City. For more information, please visit www.rmany.com.
