Credit: Shutterstock photoMyriad Genetics, Inc. ( MYGN ) has published details of its myVision Myriad Variant Classification Program in the journal - Clinical Genetics.
myVision is a one-of-a-kind advanced variant classification program that helps to detect whether mutation (genetic variant) in a patient is benign or harmful, and whether the said person is susceptible to hereditary cancer.
Myriad holds a dominant position in the healthcare market with respect to the field of variant classification. The myVision program, supported by Myriad's years of clinical research and testing in more than one million patients, has been delivering effective results since 2002. It has reduced levels of VUS (variant of uncertain significance) for all major ethnic groups almost tenfold. Statistical data validates a steady reduction in VUS rate from 38.6% to 3.6% in patients of African ancestry and a similar drop among patients of Latin ancestry from 26.1% to 3%.
Myriad owes the success of this program to the valuable investment made in two statistical classification tools, namely Pheno and MCo. These tools, developed using a validation set comprising more than 400,000 patients, guarantee classification accuracy greater than 99%. This compares favorably with other statistical methods, such as Sift Poly Phen, which demonstrate classification accuracies as low as 57%.
Patients often undergo genetic tests that fail to recognize the risk associated with the mutation, leading to unwanted confusion and difficulty in determining appropriate treatment decisions. This in turn leads to escalating healthcare costs on the patient's part.
With improved results from myVision, better clarity and clinically actionable results can now be expected.
Currently, Myriad carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).
Investors interested in the biomedical/genetics industry can however consider better-ranked stocks like Actelion Ltd . ( ALIOF ), Gentium S.p.A ( GENT ) and Affymetrix Inc . ( AFFX ), each carrying a Zack Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
AFFYMETRIX INC (AFFX): Free Stock Analysis Report
ACTELION LTD (ALIOF): Get Free Report
GENTIUM SPA-ADR (GENT): Free Stock Analysis Report
MYRIAD GENETICS (MYGN): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
