Personalized Medicine Care Diagnostics Laboratory (PMCDx) | Top Pharma
Personalized Medicine Care Diagnostics Laboratory (PMCDx) is a mission-driven company that translates precision medicine approaches into routine clinical practice. It uses an individual’s genomic signature to provide a more precise and accurate therapy plan, like tailored drug therapy. In addition to simply reporting the genetic test results, PMCDx provides guidance to clinicians and patients about how to incorporate that genetic information in their personal therapy plan considering drug-drug interactions, lifestyle, diet, and smoking status.
“The status quo of pharmacotherapy, which is mainly based on trial and error, should change. The doses of many commonly used medications such as Codeine, Plavix and Tamoxifen, and psychiatric medications can be adjusted based on genetic information to increase efficacy and decrease side effects,” says Sherry Dadgar, Ph. D., founder, and CEO of PMCDx.
The company uses advanced technologies, including whole exome/genome analysis using next generation sequencing as well as genotyping to interrogate the genome fingerprint of individuals. It employs laboratory robotics to minimize human error and ensure the accuracy and consistency of test results.
The efficacy of PMCDx’s approach can be best understood through a real-life example. It received a phone call from an internal medicine doctor who was considering doing pharmacogenomics testing for one of his patients taking multiple medications. The physician’s goal was to minimize drug-to-drug interaction.However, the patient raised concerns about privacy issues and how the genetic test results could affect her health insurance plans and whether there were implications for her kids. PMCDx’s consultation team carefully listened to the concerns, explaining that the test was only for the patient’s drug metabolism status.
In the case of genetic testing, insurance companies and employers cannot discriminate based on genetic information according to federal law, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).
“Pharmacogenomics testing is an emerging field requiring large-scale outcomes studies. Lack of awareness and health insurance reimbursements are still among the major limitations. We provide educational materials for physicians and patients explaining the value of pharmacogenomics testing and offer consultation services to physicians for interpretation of the results,” says Dadgar.
The status quo of pharmacotherapy, which is mainly based on trial and error, should change. The doses of many commonly used medications such as Codeine, Plavix and Tamoxifen, and psychiatric medications can be adjusted based on genetic information to increase efficacy and decrease side effects
The biggest driver of PMCDx’s success is its mission of advancing precision medicine and improving population health. Despite being a for-profit company, its focus is not solely on generating profit. Instead, it is operated and controlled by individuals with direct patient care and scientific backgrounds. The company emphasizes prioritizing precision and quality over cost-saving measures. While this scientific mindset may not always result in maximizing financial gains, PMCDx firmly believes that the business is driven by science rather than anything else.
With the advancement of technologies, PMCDx is now able to access the molecular signature of individuals at a very low cost which enables it to not only improve diagnostic approaches for patients but also to improve population health via screening tests. Pharmacogenomics testing is only one test that a population can benefit from. Many other tests, such as cancer genetic screening and carrier genetic screening ,just to name a few, can be beneficial for everyone and most likely more cost-effective for society in general.
