Admera Health Partners with Helix to Launch Genetic Tests

On Jul 24, 2017

South Plainfield-based Admera Health announced the launch of three physician-ordered DNA tests for healthy adults that will expand its established portfolio of clinical genetic tests for patients.  The new tests, which assess risk for inherited high cholesterol, Sudden Cardiac Death and inherited diabetes, were developed in collaboration with Helix, a personal genomics company that launched the first online marketplace for DNA-powered products.  Admera’s new products will be available on the Helix marketplace along with a diverse range of DNA-powered products focused on nutrition, ancestry, health, fitness, family and entertainment.

“We are very excited to partner with Helix to harness the power of next-generation sequencing to identify genetic markers that research has linked to serious and medically actionable diseases,” said Admera Health’s President and CEO, Guanghui Hu, PhD. “The advent of Helix’s first-of-its-kind online marketplace for DNA-powered products allows every person to have greater visibility into their own genome, and take ownership of their health.”

Admera’s first three DNA-powered products debuting on the Helix online marketplace are:

• Inherited High Cholesterol (Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH)) Test ($124.99): Scans for genes or markers that may increase the risk for FH, a major risk factor for developing heart disease.
• Cardio Scout Test ($214.99): Scans for genes or markers that can cause malfunctions of the heart’s electrical system or structure, that may increase the risk of the heart stopping unexpectedly.
• Inherited Diabetes (Mature Onset Diabetes of the Young) Test ($149.99): Scans for genes or markers that may increase the risk for a type of inherited diabetes and may help inform suitable treatment.

Admera plans to release additional products on the Helix marketplace over the next few months.

The process for ordering an Admera test is simple: visit the Helix marketplace at www.helix.com, learn about the available tests, and fill out a health questionnaire that will be reviewed by an independent physician. If the physician determines that the test is appropriate, he or she orders the test, and the consumer will receive a saliva collection kit (if this is the first order placed on Helix.com). After registering the kit, the consumer will mail their saliva sample to Helix’s laboratory for sequencing. Helix will share the portion of the consumer’s genetic data relevant to Admera’s test and Admera will interpret the genetic variants and provide the consumer with a results report.  Helix customers will also have the option to seek counsel from highly-qualified, independent genomic experts who can help them understand the results and responsibly interpret their potential impact.

“The high-cost of state-of-the-art sequencing has always been a roadblock to the widespread use of genetic testing among consumers.  Helix’s high-volume, CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited next-generation sequencing capability and open platform will bring genetic testing from the hospital into a consumer’s home and have a profound and lasting impact on the personal genomics industry,” said Brady Millican, MD, VP of Business Development at Admera Health.

“Helix is committed to working with partners that share our vision of delivering the highest-quality DNA information to people in a responsible and compliant manner,” said Justin Kao, Co-Founder and SVP of Helix. “Admera is one of the first partners to offer health-related insights on the Helix marketplace, with genetic counseling support for any customer who wants to speak to an expert.  We are excited that Admera is bringing their bioinformatics and scientific expertise to help people better assess risk and guide proactive health decisions for several inherited conditions in cardiology and diabetes.”

The collaboration with Helix complements Admera’s existing menu of genetic tests for physicians, which utilize Admera’s CAP-accredited and CLIA-certified facility and data knowledgebase.

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