DeCode Genetics Offers A Test To Determine The Risk For Developing Type 2 Diabetes.

What will they think of next? There is now a test being offered to patients to determine if they have an increased risk for diabetes. Why can’t I think of these things?

The test, called DeCode T2, identifies a gene variation that doubles the risk of diabetes, said Chief Executive Officer Kari Stefansson. DeCode’s first marketed product, the test will cost about $500, he said. No sales projections have been made.

Did they say $500? That is a bit steep and insurance doesn’t cover it. Is this a test for the wealthy, the ones that have more access to better nutritional choices and gym memberships? I would imagine that will be their target audience, but only time will tell.

The average person’s risk of developing diabetes is about 7 percent. A positive result on DeCode’s test raises the risk to about 14 percent, said Harvard Medical School’s C. Ronald Kahn, head of obesity and hormone action research at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. People who heed the test can cut their risk of diabetes with just modest activity and 500 fewer calories in their daily diet, he said.

Just how does this little test work? It detects a variation of our genetic makeup. About 10% of the population has 2 copies of the genetic variation called TCF7L2, or SNiPs. Yeah I know, complicated stuff.

The test is an example of the power of testing for tiny genetic variations that signal larger disruptions in the genome. The variations, called single-nucleotide polymorphisms or SNiPs, are single-letter substitutions that can be identified with San Diego-based Illumina’s gene arrays.

I had visions of it being a complicated test with pricks and needles and all the dreadful procedures that go along with a doctors visit. But nope, not the case.

Doctors will take a drop of blood or inner-cheek scraping from patients and ship it to DeCode and its collaborating laboratories for testing, which takes less than three weeks.

Sounds easy enough! But where to get the $500? This could be its downfall.

via Bloomberg.com