How Genetic Technologies Can Empower More People With Information

Originally published on Illumina News Center

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 9, 2023 / After earning a graduate degree in genetic counseling, Zoë Milgrom's first job immediately exposed her to the difficult reality of putting her education into practice. In various obstetric and pediatric units at a major public hospital in Sydney, she supported families managing high-risk pregnancies or navigating diagnostic odysseys.

"I remember many family meetings where the neurologist or pediatrician had to deliver really awful news which had fatal implications for these beautiful babies," she says. "I watched the parents' hearts just hit the floor. On so many occasions it was left to me to tell them that, unfortunately, based on the information and the results, their child would not survive." She developed relationships with these families and was often the person they called at the end.

One such relationship sparked her lightbulb moment. "It occurred to me that genetic testing and counseling is so powerful, and the impact it has on the individual who's diagnosed, their family, and their community so all-encompassing, that it needs to be less taboo and feel less rare."

Milgrom eventually left that hospital to work in a private fertility clinic. "Patients had more choices to preempt or avoid the loss. Yet there was still so much heartache that had led people to come into the clinic."

As time went on and genomic sequencing decreased in price, Milgrom continued to ask, why is it so hard for people to access carrier screening? In Australia, couples can endure wait times of up to two years for genetic counseling and carrier screening tests.

During Milgrom's own maternity leave, she met an entrepreneur named Kunal Kalro who was also passionate about making genetics accessible. They wanted to deliver clinical genetic testing and counseling to the general population. In 2017 they founded Eugene, and they started seeing clients for reproductive carrier screening the next year.

Screening made accessible
Eugene, which exists completely in the digital space, serves individuals in Australia and New Zealand. Clients go online to provide family history and book a genetic counseling appointment where they learn about the benefits and limitations of testing and review their information. The counselor orders the saliva test kit, which arrives in the client's mail, and then gets sent to a lab. Finally, Eugene's genetic counselors and geneticists review the lab results.

So handeln Sie das Kursziel

Der Analyst erwartet ein Kursziel von 128,39$, was eine Steigerung von +5,00% zum aktuellen Kurs entspricht. Mit diesen Produkten können Sie die Kurserwartungen des Analysten übertreffen.

 

Morgan Stanley

 

Alle Partner

Übernehmen

Für Ihre Einstellungen haben wir keine weiteren passenden Produkte gefunden.
Bitte verändern Sie Kursziel, Zeitraum oder Emittent.Alternativ können Sie auch unsere Derivate-Suchen verwenden
Knock-Out-Suche | Optionsschein-Suche | Zertifikate-Suche

WerbungDisclaimer