October 26, 2022
Welcome back to another All of Us genomics update! In this month’s update, we’re taking a closer look at the Medicine and Your DNA report. Please note, this update is not your personalized, health-related DNA result. Instead, we hope this information will help you decide if you want to receive these results when you get your invitation.
The All of Us Medicine and Your DNA Report
Everyone processes medicine a bit differently. For example, do you prefer one type of pain reliever because you think it works better for you? Ever take a drug and get a rash afterwards? That may be partially because of your DNA. For the Medicine and Your DNA report, All of Us will look at a few genes that can affect how your body responds to some medicines. This is called “pharmacogenetics.”
What you will get in the Medicine and Your DNA report:
- Information on seven specific genes. For each gene, we will tell you which type, or variant, is present in your DNA. Most participants will have at least one genetic variant that affects how their bodies process particular medicines. This can become important for their health if they have one of the variants and take any of the medicines affected by that variant.
- A list of specific medicines that may be affected by your genetics. You can view the full list of genes and medicines that we look at on our website.
VIEW GENES & MEDICINES
How to Use These Results
If you want to, you can share your DNA results with your doctor or health care provider. Your doctor can decide if you need a clinical DNA test to confirm your results. That clinical DNA test can help them make decisions about the medicines they prescribe for you. Remember, doctors and health care providers don’t make decisions about medicines based on just DNA. They consider several other things, too, like your age, weight, health, diet, and other medicines you are taking at the same time.
It’s always your choice if you want to get these reports. If you do, our licensed and certified genetic counselors are available at no cost. Our genetic counselors can help you understand what your results mean for you.
Important! DNA results from All of Us are research results. They are not a medical diagnosis. Please talk to your doctor or health care provider before making any changes to your medicines or health care.
One More Thing
You may have heard that we launched a pilot test for health-related DNA results in August. That test went well! We are starting to prepare health-related DNA results for participants in the pilot group who told us they want them. We expect to return those results to them before the end of the year.
Because that test went well, we started sending out more invitations to participants. These invitations ask participants if they want to receive health-related DNA results. Each week, we’ll notify more participants, starting with those who gave us blood or saliva samples first. Keep an eye on our newsletter for progress updates!
Your partner in research,
The All of Us Research Program
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