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Genetic Testing Becoming More Accessible Everyday

Gerardo Jiménez-Sánchez - Genómica Médica
Founder

STORY INLINE POST

Miriam Bello By Miriam Bello | Senior Journalist and Industry Analyst - Mon, 09/19/2022 - 11:41

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Q: The market for DNA testing is growing in Mexico. How do Genómica Médica’s products stand out from the rest?

A: We created different strategies to meet the needs of the health sector and focused on educating patients to help them understand how their genetic code directly impact current and future health. We add value through innovation in our products, e-commerce, communication strategies and experience as a whole. We help healthy people learn about their genetic risks to prevent possible future diseases and those who have been diagnosed with a disease to make the best-informed decision for care and treatment.

Q: How is Genómica Médica making genetic testing more accessible?

A: The prices for genetic testing dropped drastically in the past four or five years. While we are based in Mexico City, our services can reach the entire country thanks to our innovative kits for home tests, which include all necessary tools and equipment that allow the patient to obtain a high-quality sample, ship it to our lab and obtain the same precise results as if the sample had been taken in our laboratory.

Our offer is now much more extensive, including over 1,000 laboratory tests. For example, we now include cancer, prediction to drug response (pharmacogenomics), sexually-transmitted diseases and different forms of COVID-19 testing including saliva, nasopharyngeal and nasal tests. We used our capabilities to serve society in these difficult times, greatly expanding our portfolio of testing services. We also identified that consumer education is a powerful tool to communicate with the marketplace and offer our services more effectively.

Q: How is Genómica Médica partnering with insurance companies, pharmacies or other industries to enhance access to its products?

A: We allied with medical groups and other small, medium and large laboratories that lacked the knowledge and capabilities to perform DNA testing. We are now preparing a series of new alliances with the pharmaceutical industry, as genomics is becoming essential to the sector. It is becoming increasingly clear in Mexico and abroad that the pharmaceutical industry can derive enormous benefits from synergizing with genomics experts.

We are also identifying the alliances that are truly effective for us.

Q: Your products focus largely on prevention. What are the main services that you offer in this regard?

A: We offer a group of wellness-related tests to help people improve their quality of life through orientation. Our “Body Fit test” has proven particularly popular. It looks into the risk genes for diabetes and obesity using AI so our team of nutritionists can provide better and more accurate recommendations depending on what mutations the individual has. We also have a program for athletes, identifying the genetic variations related to aerobic, muscle and athletic capacity. These results are combined with nutrition recommendations provided by our coaches, allowing athletes to take advantage of their genes. Our cancer risk tests are becoming very popular.

Q: As the world has become more health-focused after the pandemic, how can genetic testing play a more mainstream role in correctly supporting people?

A: Genomics can help to alleviate the most pressing health problems in Mexico and abroad: diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Although Genomic Medicine is still developing as a discipline, the genetic risk score for multifactorial diseases calculates the risk for many diseases, allowing for targeted prevention programs for those who are at high risk of developing any of these diseases.

Q: What are your expectations for genomic medicine in Mexico in the near future and how do you expect it to grow?

A: These technologies are gradually starting to become mandatory instruments for medical practice, especially in industrialized countries. Mexico is not doing badly. The country has been investing in scientific research and into the adoption of genomics products and services. Medical genomics has been gradually growing and conquering the market in Mexico. Medical groups now offer genomic tests at increasingly lower prices, using robust technologies that benefit patients. These technologies not only change the lives of patients; they can also benefit their families and descendants.

 

Genómica Médica is the leading laboratory for personalized medicine in Mexico. It offers saliva-based DNA tests for risk assessment and diagnosis of common genetic diseases.

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