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Pharmacogenomics

September 28, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Pharmacogenomics

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Pharmacogenomics

This week on Health Connect South Radio we featured Bob Bean, CEO of Harmonyx, a technology company specializing in pharmacogenomics. Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genes affect a person’s response to drugs. This relatively new field combines pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and their functions) to develop effective, safe medications and doses that will be tailored to a person’s genetic makeup.

As we have learned on previous episodes of the show, taking medications correctly is vital to achieving a positive outcome. In fact, incorrectly taking a medication or taking certain combinations of medications can actually make you very sick or even kill you.

Add to that this fact–our genetic code can affect how our body responds to a given medication we’re taking. For example, 30% of people who take Plavix, the popular anti-platelet medication to prevent stroke, get no effect from taking the drug due to a particular genetic mutation. Consider the money spent by 1/3 of patients taking this medicine and it’s literally doing nothing in their body.

Harmonyx employs a non-invasive cheek swab which collects a DNA sample which is then tested for that individual’s genetically-driven response to a prescribed medication. Depending on the results, it may be possible for the pharmacist and physician to identify another medication from that particular medicine family that will have the desired effect and/or avoid possible negative responses to the original med.

The test is available at participating pharmacies and can provide useful information for patients taking statin medication, ADHD meds, pain medication, and anti-platelet medication. The test will reveal if the patient’s body will respond as expected or if they may experience adverse effects due to the way their body processes the prescribed medication.

In this way the patient is able to get medical treatment that is likely to have the desired outcome while avoiding probable negative effects and/or spending money and taking a medicine that literally does nothing for them.

On this episode I also shared the conversation I had with Ebola survivor, Dr. Ian Crozier, who was a keynote speaker at the 2015 Health Connect South event. Ian was providing care to Ebola patients in Sierra Leone when he contracted the disease. He had the good fortune of being flown to Emory Hospital in Atlanta for intense specialized care. In spite of significant damage to numerous organs including kidneys, eyes, and even his brain, Ian survived and shared his poignant story with the attendees of this year’s event.

I was very pleased to get to meet him and speak with him for a few minutes.

Special Guests:

Bob Bean, CEO of Harmonyx

Dr. Ian Crozier, Ebola Survivor

Rebecca Hurd with Harmonyx and John Andrews with LifeSouth Community Blood Centers

August 6, 2015 by Mike

Gwinnett Business Radio

Rebecca Hurd with Harmonyx and John Andrews with LifeSouth Community Blood Centers

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Mike Sammond, Rebecca Hurd, John Andrews, Antonio Little-El

Rebecca Hurd/Harmonyx Diagnostics

On a mission to personalize medicine. Harmonyx Diagnostics is an innovative company that is changing the way medication is prescribed in America.

Founded in 2009, Harmonyx believes patients should be empowered to know if their medication will be safe and effective. Patients should also have the power to pay for affordable genetic testing without the hurdles health insurance can cause, and that pharmacists play a key role in giving patients this information by providing Harmonyx tests at their locations.

With the Harmonyx pharmacy partnership, participating pharmacies can provide genetic testing to ensure their patients’ medications are safe and effective.

Harmonyx is a fully automated genotyping system to deliver fast, easy and accurate results to qualified healthcare professionals, helping them determine the appropriate medication and dosing for each patient.

John Andrews/LifeSouth Community Blood Centers

LifeSouth Community Blood Centers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community blood supplier for more than 100 hospitals in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. They are committed to meeting the blood supply needs of these hospitals by providing the highest quality blood components and services. LifeSouth is a community blood center, meaning the blood supply collected from their donors directly serves the needs of patients in their community. The blood donated there will stay there for local patient transfusions.

Each year, nearly five million Americans need a blood transfusion. To meet that responsibility, they need to collect 266,000 blood donations a year. That’s 728 donors a day. With over 30 donor centers, 44 blood mobiles, and over 2,000 blood drives a month, the LifeSouth team is committed to making sure the blood is there when you or your family member is in need. They are your community blood center.

The blood supply collected from donors directly serves the needs of patients at over 100 medical facilities throughout their footprint. The blood donated will stay in their community for local patient transfusion. Only if the local supply is met will LifeSouth share their blood resources with other communities.

Intellimedix and Life University

April 1, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Intellimedix and Life University

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Intellimedix and Life University

This week we sat down with experts from Intellimedix and Life University. Intellimedix is an Atlanta-based company that uses high-powered computing algorithms, coupled with genetic testing to identify existing medications that could potentially be re-purposed to effectively treat illnesses other than the ones they were originally designed to treat. One of the company’s founders has a child who suffers from a severe form of epilepsy. Unfortunately, there are limited treatments known to be available that will provide relief from this debilitating condition. His daughter’s story influenced the decision to focus the company’s initial efforts on uncovering existing medications that could be successfully re-purposed to help folks dealing with this type of epilepsy and other neurologic disorders.

Chief Science Officer, Jeff Skolnick shared the example of how a blood pressure medication (Viagra) was re-purposed to treat erectile dysfunction. He went on the discuss the physiology/chemistry behind why this is possible and why it makes sense to look for existing, approved medications that have the ability to improve quality of life for patients dealing with illnesses different from those the medications are initially intended to treat. This approach saves a great deal of time and money over the years-long, massively-expensive process of developing a medication from ground zero to treat a particular condition; allowing patients in need to receive access to an effective treatment sooner.

Dr. Gilles LeMarche, VP of Professional Relations at Life University came by to talk about the undergraduate and graduate programs available at their Marietta, GA-based campus. They offer a number of health, wellness, and sports-related degrees ranging from chiropractic medicine, to vitalistic nutrition, functional kinesiology, and others. He shared their approach to wellness, applying the philosphy of “vitalism” allows their graduates to help their clients/patients by helping the body to heal itself; as it is ideally capable of doing when interfering factors are removed.

Special Guests:

Steven Hickson, CFO, Intellimedix

MBA, Global Executive MBA Program, IESE Business School, Barcelona Spain
BA Accounting, NC State University
Previous Senior Auditor, Turner Broadcasting System
Former SVP, New Media & Premium Channels, Fox International Channels- Asia

Jeff Skolnick, PhD, Chief Science Officer, Intellimedix

Director, Center for Study of Systems Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology
PhD, Chemistry, Yale University
Mary and Maisie Gibson Chair in Computational Systems Biology
Associate Director, Integrated Biosystems Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology

Gilles Lamarche, DCM, VP, Professional Relations, Life University

Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College
Certified Six Advisors Coach, 6 Advisors Coaching Academy
Former Vice President, Parker College of Chiropractic
Fluent in French

Some backing music provided by: www.pacdv.com/sounds/

Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Overviews to Breakthroughs

June 6, 2013 by angishields

The Doctors Roundtable

Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Overviews to Breakthroughs

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On the heels of National Arthritis month in the U.S., this segment of The Doctors Roundtable focuses on osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. These two illnesses, out of the over 100 musculoskeletal disorders, affect millions of Americans and their ability to maintain high quality physical movement throughout their lives. In the U.S., arthritis is the leading cause of disability and it is not just a disease caused by aging. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are chronic conditions with no clearly known causes. These diseases are progressive and degenerative , leading to the breakdown of cartilage, bones, muscles and membranes surrounding the joints. The effects of this breakdown include: inflammation, pain, fatigue, joint stiffness and at times joint deformity and disability. Imagine standing, sitting, lying down or coughing and all causing pain. Many patients report there is never a day they can forget they have arthritis.

The Arthritis Foundation is the nation’s largest private funder of research, public health programs and advocacy on behalf of the 50 million Americans living with this painful disease. With the aging of Baby Boomers, it has been estimated that by 2030, 67 million Americans will have some form of arthritis. Here, the Arthritis Foundation will discuss an overview of these two diseases and how they are working to fund research, change policies and educate to help arthritis patients today and tomorrow.

John H. Klippel, M.D.

John H. Klippel, M.D. is president and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation, the largest voluntary health organization serving the 50 million Americans living with the nation’s number one cause of disability. Dr. Klippel has held the position since October 2003.

Prior to joining the Arthritis Foundation, Dr. Klippel served as Clinical Director of the National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). During his professional career at the National Institutes of Health, he authored or co-authored 190 peer-reviewed publications and textbook chapters related to arthritis. He has served as editor of the Primer on the Rheumatic Diseases and the textbook Rheumatology.

Roberta Byrum

Roberta K. Byrum, CPA, is the chief operating officer of the Arthritis Foundation – the nation’s largest national, nonprofit health agency working on behalf of the 50 million Americans living with arthritis.

As COO, Ms. Byrum is accountable for all aspects of the daily operations of the Arthritis Foundation National Office, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to her operations leadership of the national office, Ms. Byrum works closely with the Foundation’s regional CEOs to ensure strategic alignment of nationwide operating activities.

Alternatives in Healing: An Overview of Alternative Medicine

May 17, 2013 by angishields

The Doctors Roundtable

Alternatives in Healing: An Overview of Alternative Medicine

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Opinions may be heated about the efficacy of alternative medicine, but patients are using it and top American medical schools such as Georgetown, Duke, and the University of California are incorporating it into their programs. Recent CDC data estimates that 38% of Americans use some form of alternative medicine. These patients, collectively are spending $34B per year, mostly out of pocket, on alternative medicine treatments. This accounts for $1 in every $10 spent out of pocket for Americans. Pain is a common driver for patients seeking alternative medicine care. Alternative medicine tenents include: 1) caring for the person as a whole vs. symptom and disease management 2) empowering patients to creative lifestyle conditions for optimal health 3) use of the body’s innate healing ability and 4) prevention of disease as a safeguard to future medical expenses.

Therapies and treatments used in alternative health span medication to meditation and often include: nutrition, herbology, spinal manipulation, energy treatments, acupuncture, homeopathy, massage, relaxation and stress management and biofeedback. It is not all “touchy feely”. High tech is also included as this segment will explore breast thermography as an example. This segment will provide an overview of alternative medicine from the perspective of principles, evaluation process, treatments, costs, and success stories.

Dr. Billiot has been in private practice at Alternative Health Atlanta for many years. She completed her Doctor of Chiropractic program at Life University in 1993. She is certified in CRA and nutrition response testing. She has special interests in treating women, children and in the areas of homeopathy, herbology and clinical nutrition. Dr. Billiot has also created a unique, breakthrough program called EVETICS. She not only has one of the largest private alternative medicine practices in Atlanta, but she also trains other alternative practitioners across the nation.