A new qualitative study of how to properly prepare cancer patients for unanticipated inheritable genetic findings found their emotions ranged from gratitude to regret based on how much genetic counseling they received prior to tumor sequencing. These findings from research conducted by City of Hope with support from the American…

Research suggests that some women could forgo genetic counseling before or after taking a remote screening test for inherited breast or ovarian cancer risk without experiencing increased distress, anxiety, or depression. Furthermore, omitting counseling increases the number of people who complete screening, reports Elizabeth Swisher, a gynecologic oncologist at UW…

By Heather Zierhut The COVID-19 pandemic marked a turning point across the health care landscape, and like many professions, genetic counseling is evolving in unexpected ways. Genetic counselors are seeing many changes that they see shaping the future of the field, from access to technology to equity and more. As…

by Joy Larden Haidle Joy Larsen Haidle The COVID-19 pandemic brought many changes to the delivery of health care. In the effort to minimize exposure risks for patients and medical staff, routine health care rapidly pivoted to telehealth services. Providers attempted to stay connected to their…

Foundation Medicine and genetics services provider InformedDNA, announced today a collaboration for patient referral to InformedDNA for genetic counseling services and to provide patients with advice on confirmatory genetic testing based on the results of an initial tumor test from Foundation Medicine. Genetic counseling and follow up germline testing of…

In the 1990s, Elissa Levin proposed a master’s thesis on using the Internet to extend the reach of genetic counselors. Quickly, her committee shut down that idea. In those “old days”—just a few decades ago—many genetic counselors believed that only face-to-face assessments could be useful. In the midst of the…

Invitae said today it has agreed to acquire Clear Genetics for approximately $50 million in cash and stock, in a deal intended to expand the buyer’s ability to scale and deliver genetic information as part of routine medical care. Clear Genetics’ HIPAA-compliant software platform is intended to enable genetic service…

There is little doubt that the field of genetic counseling has undergone monumental changes in the past 10 or 20 years as technology has ramped up the information available from genetic testing from one or two genes per test to panels that often contain hundreds of genes. Propelled by changes…

Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have won a five-year, more-than-$5 million grant through the NIH’s National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Cancer Moonshot initiative to fund a study on genetic counseling, genetic communication, and genetic services to patients. The researchers plan to assess strategies for identifying…

Evidence-based, consensus guidelines for genetic testing and counseling for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been created. The 35 guideline statements are published in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology and include the new recommendation that all persons with ALS be offered comprehensive genetic testing. This, the authors said, will…

Cambridge-based Sano Genetics has raised $11.4M in a new funding round to drive its clinical trials software platform in precision medicine. The latest funding was led by early-stage investors Plural with the participation of venture capitalists MMC Ventures, which led its Series A round, as well as existing contributors Episode…

Genetic screening can identify patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) to ensure they receive appropriate treatment to prevent heart attack, stroke, and death, according to a new study from Intermountain Health. Researchers found that compared to patients without a prior FH diagnosis, those diagnosed before a major heart event had significantly…

Leaders in genetic counseling gathered together virtually and in-person at Nashville’s Music City Center in November for the National Society of Genetic Counselor’s 41st Annual Conference to present new genetics research and discuss the future of the field. Deepti Babu President – Elect of NSGC gives…

Sponsored content brought to you by Megan Martin   Megan Martin is a certified genetic counselor who joined the clinical services team in 2011. Over the years, her role has evolved into overseeing the clinical services team while providing guidance around process optimization, emerging technologies, genetic…

New European recommendations stress the value of cardiac genetic testing in athletes but also outline its limitations and the importance of counseling before and afterwards. High-level exercise can lead to structural and electrical changes in the heart that can mimic inherited cardiac conditions, explain the researchers. This ‘grey zone’ can…