company overview - Pathway Genomics

COMPANY
OVERVIEW
Pathway Genomics Corporation
Who We Are
As a CAP and CLIA accredited clinical laboratory
based in San Diego, California, Pathway Genomics
Corporation provides physicians and their
patients with actionable and accurate genetic
information they can use to improve or maintain
health and wellness.
Since its founding in 2008, Pathway Genomics has
become known for its dedication to innovation
and commitment to medical responsibility –
making it a leader in the commercial genetic
testing industry.
What We Do
Pathway Genomics provides physicians
with actionable genetic testing results on
cancer risk, heart health traits, inherited
diseases, complex health conditions, weight
management, and drug response for specific
medications used in pain management and
mental health.
For more information about Pathway Genomics Corporation
www.pathway.com | 877.505.7374 | [email protected]
"" CAP and CLIA accredited laboratory
"" Actionable genetic testing results
"" Cancer risk
"" Recessive genetic diseases
"" Heart health traits
"" Response to eight classes of drugs
that affect the cardiovascular system
"" Common health conditions
"" Drug response for medications
used in pain management and
mental health
The CAP Certification Mark is a service mark owned
by CAP and is used pursuant to a license from CAP.
CLIA No. 05D1092505 | CAP No. 7232232
T-1101.002: Corporate Overview Brochure (Domestic) | 6/2014
Pathway Genomics Corporation
BRCATrueTM
ColoTrueTM
§§ Easy to interpret and clinically actionable results
§§ Rapid 2-week turnaround time
§§ Advanced variant classification
CancerFitTM
§§ Focuses on how genetic predisposition can contribute to
cancer risk-reducing strategies
§§ Combines nutrigenetics with general health and medication
response information
Cardiac Healthy Weight
DNA InsightTM
§§ Provides specific genetic information including matching
diet type, nutritional needs and genetic propensities
§§ May help reduce the risk of heart disease by making
appropriate diet and nutritional changes
§§ Provides personalized approach to healthy weight loss
Healthy Weight DNA InsightTM
§§ One of the most comprehensive weight-related genetic
tests available
§§ Unique combination of nutrigenetic, medication and
general health information
Cardiac DNA InsightTM
§§ Tests for genetic risk of certain heart-related health conditions
§§ Examines eight classes of drugs that affect the
cardiovascular system
§§ Uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to
identify gene alterations or mutations that increase a
patient’s risk of developing certain types of cancer
§§ Scans a patient’s genome for a number conditions related to
colorectal cancer
Carrier Status DNA InsightTM
§§ More ACOG-recommended conditions than most other
carrier tests on the market today
§§ More than 70 recessive genetic diseases
Healthy Woman DNA InsightTM
§§ May help to better manage postpartum weight loss
§§ Aids in identifying behaviors that may need to be managed
§§ Provides information to promote improvement in overall
health and wellness
Mental Health DNA InsightTM
§§ Identifies genetic variants that affect the metabolism and
efficacy of psychiatric medications
§§ More than 40 common antidepressants, mood stabilizers
and antipsychotic medications
Pain Medication DNA InsightTM
§§ Identifies genetic variants that affect how an individual
will respond to the analgesic effects of certain types of
commonly prescribed pain medications
For more information about Pathway Genomics Corporation
www.pathway.com | 877.505.7374 | [email protected]
The CAP Certification Mark is a service mark owned
by CAP and is used pursuant to a license from CAP.
CLIA No. 05D1092505 | CAP No. 7232232
T-1101.002: Corporate Overview Brochure (Domestic) | 6/2014
“All illnesses have some hereditary contribution.
Genetics loads the gun and environment pulls the trigger.”
— Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
.and former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
MEDIA
HIGHLIGHTS
WHAT THE MEDIA IS
SAYING ABOUT PATHWAY
Pathway Genomics an Inc. 500
Fastest-Growing Company
SAN DIEGO, CA – August 20, 2014 – Inc. magazine today ranked global genetic testing company Pathway Genomics No. 173,
with a three-year growth rate of 2,415.5%, on its 33rd annual Inc. 500|5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing
private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy — America’s
independent entrepreneurs. Companies such as Yelp, Pandora, Timberland, Dell, Domino’s Pizza, LinkedIn, Zillow, and many other wellknown names gained early exposure as members of the Inc. 500|5000.
“A heartfelt congratulations to each company that made the Inc. 500|5000. We are honored
to be included among the top-tier of innovative companies in the nation,” said Jim Plante,
Pathway Genomics’ founder and CEO. “Since the day Pathway was founded, it has been our
goal to provide the most accurate and pioneering services possible to physicians and their
patients. These last few years have been an incredible ride in developing a suite of powerful
tests that can benefit patients worldwide to truly make an impact on global health – and we’re
just getting started.”
As a government-accredited clinical laboratory and forward-thinking healthcare company, Pathway Genomics has numerous
actionable genetic tests that can identify a person’s genetic risk for cancer, cardiac conditions, inherited diseases, nutrition and exercise
response, and drug response for medications, specifically those used in pain management and mental health.
Over the last two months, Pathway Genomics has launched a leading-edge next-generation sequencing breast cancer risk genetic
test, called BRCATrueTM, and co-hosted a fundraiser benefiting Susan G. Komen that raised more than $300,000 for the organization. The
company also unveiled the BRCA One for OneTM program – for every qualified BRCATrue test ordered, one test is donated to a person
in need, up to $10 million of free testing. It is the only program of its kind in the history of the medical community. Pathway Genomics
also has a financial assistance program for patients who cannot afford testing.
The 2014 Inc. 500, unveiled in the September issue of Inc. (available on newsstands August 20 to November 15 and on Inc.com), is
the most competitive crop in the list’s history. To make the cut, companies had to have achieved a staggering minimum of 942.6% in
Pathway Genomics Corporation
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877.505.7374
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sales growth. The Inc. 500’ s aggregate revenue is $15.2 billion, with
a median three-year growth of 1,828%, generating 23,000 jobs
over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 500|5000,
including company profiles and an interactive database that can
be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at
www.inc.com/inc5000.
“What surprises me, even though I know it’s
coming, is the sheer variety of the paths our
entrepreneurs take to success, thematically reflecting how our economy has evolved,” said Inc.
President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. “This year there are far more social media and
far fewer computer hardware businesses than there were, say, six years ago. But what doesn’t
change is the fearsome creativity unleashed by American entrepreneurship.”
The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring all the companies on the list will be held from October 15 through 17, 2014 in Phoenix. Speakers
include some of the greatest entrepreneurs of this and past generations, such as Michael Dell, Martha Stewart, host of the CNBC show
“The Profit” Marcus Lemonis, Container Store Founder and CEO Kip Tindell, and Chobani Founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya.
About Pathway Genomics Corporation
As a CLIA and CAP accredited clinical laboratory based in San Diego, California, Pathway Genomics provides physicians and their
patients with actionable and accurate genetic information to improve or maintain health and wellness. Since its founding in 2008,
Pathway Genomics has become known for its dedication to innovation and commitment to medical responsibility – making it a leader
in the commercial genetic testing industry. Pathway Genomics’ testing services cover a variety of conditions including cancer risk,
cardiac health, inherited diseases, nutrition and exercise response, as well as drug response for specific medications including those
used in pain management and mental health. For more about Pathway Genomics, visit www.pathway.com.
More About Inc. and the Inc. 500|5000
Methodology
The 2014 Inc. 500|5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2010 to 2013. To qualify, companies must
have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2010. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent-not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies--as of December 31, 2013. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone
public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2010 is $100,000; the minimum for 2013 is $2 million. As always, Inc.
reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue. They
represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.
About Inc. and the Inc. 500|5000
Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and
managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. Total monthly
audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 6,000,000 today.
For more information, visit http://www.inc.com/.
The Inc. 500|5000 is a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Started in 1982, this prestigious list of the nation’s
most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. The Inc. 500|5000 Conference & Awards
Ceremony is an annual event that celebrates their remarkable achievements. The event also offers informative workshops, celebrated
keynote speakers, and evening functions. For more information on Inc. and the Inc. 500|5000 Conference, visit http://www.inc.com/.
Pathway Genomics Corporation
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www.pathway.com
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877.505.7374
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[email protected]
PATHWAY GENOMICS LAUNCHES BRCA1/2
GENETIC TEST WITH ONE FOR ONE PROGRAM
SAN DIEGO, CA – June 3, 2014 – Pathway Genomics
Corporation, a San Diego-based CLIA and CAP accredited
clinical laboratory that offers genetic testing services globally,
today announced it has launched BRCATrueTM, a nextgeneration sequencing and deletion/duplication analysis
that can detect mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2, the genes
linked to breast, ovarian and other types of cancer. BRCATrue
has a sensitivity of >99.99% and the broadest coverage
across BRCA1/2 in the industry.
“Pathway’s mission is to
ensure that people in
need receive genetic
testing regardless of
their economic or
insurance status.”
Jim Plante
Founder and CEO
Pathway Genomics
Recent studies show that up to 80 percent of families with
multiple cases of breast and ovarian cancer have been
attributed to BRCA1/2 mutations. Mutations in BRCA genes
can occur in men and women across all ethnicities, and
although anyone can have mutations in one of the BRCA
genes, some groups are more likely to be affected such
as those with a family history of cancer and people of
Ashkenazi Jewish descent.
“One out of every eight women
will be affected by breast cancer in
her lifetime,” said Ardy Arianpour,
Pathway Genomics’ chief strategy
officer. “In the history of the
medical community, no clinical
laboratory has offered such an
unprecedented program as BRCA
One for One. By making our
test more accessible, we aim to
make a substantial impact in the
prevention of breast cancer and
help further raise awareness by
partnering with global patient
advocacy organizations.”
To enhance the accessibility
of this important genetic
test, Pathway Genomics has
developed the BRCA One for
OneTM program – for every
qualified BRCATrue test ordered,
one test is donated to a person
in need through patient
advocacy organizations, up to
$10 million of free testing.
“Pathway’s mission is to ensure
that people in need receive
genetic testing regardless of
their economic or insurance
status,” said Jim Plante, Pathway
Genomics’ founder and CEO.
“Offering the industry’s best
BRCA genetic test and making
it accessible to a wide range of
people is a vital objective in
this mission.”
.com
“In the history of the
medical community,
no clinical laboratory
has offered such
an unprecedented
program as
BRCA One for One.”
Ardy Arianpour
Chief Strategy Officer
Pathway Genomics
BRCATrue offers physicians an easy to interpret and clinically
actionable report, advanced variant classification, as well as
a rapid 2-week turnaround time. BRCATrue is the first step
of many that will occur this year to demonstrate Pathway
Genomics’ leadership in clinical genomics and commitment
to having the most comprehensive cancer-testing menu.
To learn more about BRCATrue, visit www.pathway.com/
brcatrue. For more details about the BRCA One for One
program, visit www.brcaoneforone.com.
Pathway Genomics Corporation | www.pathway.com | 877.505.7374 | [email protected]
Kellan Lutz, Sophia Bush, and More
Come Out to Support the Fight
Against Breast Cancer
Presented by Relativity Media, Pathway Genomics, and Evian, the evening raised funds
to provide affordable hereditary breast cancer testing and to eradicate the disease.
Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. was abuzz last
night as the stars gathered to support the fight against
breast cancer. Jaimie Alexander, Kellan Lutz, Jessica
Roffey, Sophia Bush, and Emmanuelle Chriqui (pictured)
were joined by Amber Valetta, Alessandra Ambrosio,
Adrian Grenier, Busy Philipps, Jordana Brewster, and
more at the Pathway to the Cures for Breast Cancer: A
Fundraiser Benefiting Susan
G. Komen event. Presented
“It’s nice to
by Relativity Media, Pathway
come out in
Genomics, and Evian, the
support of such evening raised funds to
provide affordable hereditary
an important breast cancer testing and to
eradicate the disease. During
initiative. The
the party, Pathway announced
fact that 1 in
their plans to donate $10
million in BRCA genetic tests
8 women is
for women who can’t afford
the test.
affected by
breast cancer in
their life is not
an acceptable
statistic.”
“It’s nice to come out in
support of such an important
initiative. The fact that 1 in 8
women is affected by breast
cancer in their life is not an
acceptable statistic,” Bush tells
InStyle. “When companies
Sophia Bush
choose to be proactive I’m just
incredibly grateful because they’re going to save lives.”
Chriqui also expressed the significance of showing up
for the event. “Susan G. Komen has done so much for
breast cancer awareness, so you never need to twist my
arm to come and support their cause,” the actress says.
For the occasion, the space was transformed into a luxe
living room where guests could snap pictures in an
Instagram photo booth, get their groove on, and snack
on small bites like local handmade toffees and delicious
charcuterie and cheeses. To top off the evening, Kesha
gave a glitter-filled performance of several of her hits
including “Timber” and “Your Love is My Drug,” which got
everyone dancing. “I loved seeing Kesha, I was right up
against the stage.” Valetta says. “I knew all the words to the
first song!”
During the party, Pathway announced
their plans to donate $10 million in
BRCA genetic tests for women who
can’t afford the test.
Despite the fun atmosphere, guests were really there to
support the worthy cause. “I was really excited to hear
what these two organization are doing. Both my mom
and two grandmothers all had breast cancer,” Valetta
shares. “Beside prevention and self-checking and doing
your mammograms, the biggest way to help is by making
genetic testing available for everybody, which is what this
group is aiming to do.”
http://news.instyle.com/2014/06/12/kellan-lutz-sophia-bush-and-more-come-out-to-support-the-fight-against-breast-cancer/
Pathway Genomics Corporation
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www.pathway.com
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877.505.7374
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[email protected]
Relativity Media to Close
$1B Pre-IPO Funding
by Claire Atkinson
SANTA MONICA, CA – June 12, 2013 – Movie producer
Ryan Kavanaugh wanted to upend all the rules of
Tinseltown when he established Relativity Media
10 years ago.
Now he wants to cure cancer.
The bubbly 39-year-old billionaire threw a benefit on
Wednesday for his latest investment, Pathway Genomics.
At the benefit, held at Kavanaugh’s Santa Monica, Calif.,
airport hangar, Ke$ha performed and the movie mogul
and former hedge-fund investor mingled with the likes of
models Amber Valletta and Alessandra Ambrosio.
The bubbly
39-year-old
billionaire threw
a benefit on
Wednesday for his
latest investment,
Pathway Genomics.
Whether it’s
charity events,
medical
investments
or models,
Kavanaugh has
become quite the
master of cause
marketing.
He’s invested
tens of millions
of dollars in the
privately held
San Diego biotech firm, one of many non-movie-business
companies he’s been pouring his cash into.
Kavanaugh acquired a dog-food company, FreeHand, in
2013 with singer and friend, Michael Bublé, to go along
with stakes in Vapor Corp., an e-cigarette firm, a digital ad
firm that greets airport travelers in their native languages
with duty-free offers and Shoutz, a firm developing the
global lottery business into the mobile era.
Pathway Genomics Corporation
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Whether in his personal portfolio or at Relativity,
diversification is the name of the game for Kavanaugh.
Before and after the Pathway fundraiser, Kavanaugh
has been hypnotizing East Coast hedge funds and
private-equity firms with plans to take his studio public,
Hollywood financing sources said.
The studio is working with Jefferies to close a $1 billion
pre-IPO placement early next week, sources told The Post.
The placement calls for investors to see a public float
of between 20 percent and 30 percent of the company
within 12 months.
The IPO will value the firm at between $6 billion and
$10 billion, sources tell The Post. Kavanaugh, reached
Thursday by The Post, declined comment. Though there is
no pure publicly held Hollywood entity that lines up like
Relativity, LionsGate is a similar beast.
But the obsession of Kavanaugh and others inside
Relativity is to diversify the studio enough so that its
shares don’t swing wildly on every movie release’s success
or disappointment.
Currently, 60 percent of Relativity Media’s revenue comes
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Relativity Media to Close
$1B Pre-IPO Funding
from theatrical releases, sources said. But selling that mix
to Wall Street investors — with its volatile nature — is no
easy task.
So Kavanaugh is out to diversify his studio, sources told
The Post.
By this time
next year,
sources
familiar with
the company
said, the
movie/
non-movie
revenue mix
will move
from 60/40
to closer to
50/50.
One plan to diversify includes a Relativity over-the-top
platform — called RelaTV — where it would air its own
original movies, TV shows and digital video, The Post
has learned.
While the studio recently sold rights to its content to
Netflix, that deal is non-exclusive.
•
•
•
•
•
Relativity has also pushed hard into other non-movie
sectors, like:
Relativity TV, which makes reality shows for Food
Network, OWN and GSN.
MadVine, a new unit aimed at bringing advertiser
dollars direct to its projects.
Relativity Digital, which creates digital video vignettes.
Relativity Sports that has relationships with a host
of athletes, including NBA stars Dwight Howard and
Amar’e Stoudemire, according to the firm’s Web site.
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Relativity Music, which releases soundtracks from the
company’s movies.
Movies carrying Ryan Kavanaugh’s producer credit
have averaged $47.6 million per release, according to
Boxoffice-mojo.com.
Those set to benefit from the IPO are Relativity Media’s
current backers, including Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Cos.
and Kavanaugh’s original partner, Paul Singer’s Elliott
Management.
Other lesser-known investors include: Jim Breyer, the
CEO of Breyer Capital; Colbeck Capital; Softbank; Falcon
Investments and China’s biggest bank, ICBC.
Relativity’s IPO won’t be the only one for investors to
consider in the
coming year.
MGM Studios,
which creates
the James
Bond movies,
is expected
to go public
after filing
regulatory
documents.
Ke$ha performed and
the movie mogul and
former hedge-fund
investor mingled with
the likes of models
Amber Valletta and
Alessandra Ambrosio.
And there is
also talk of
WME/Silver
Lake taking a merged WME and IMG Worldwide public in
the years to come.
For Kavanaugh, however, Relativity will be just one of a
number of chips on the poker table — but it will be his
most important.
http://nypost.com/2014/06/12/relativity-media-to-close-1b-pre-ipo-funding/
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Crack Your Own DNA Code
Men’s Journal, October 2013
“These tests give people a
better idea of where they are
and where they need to be.
It’s a probabilistic look at
your health that is a critical
component of an
integrated approach to
wellness.”
Dr. Samir Damani
Founder and CEO
of MD Revolution
DIY DNA testing
...Ten years ago, the Human Genome
Project deciphered the entire human
DNA code at a cost of about $3
billion. What no one dreamed at the
time was that the technology would
quickly become so accessible and
so cheap.
What Our Genes Tell Us
...In the case of San Diego-based
Pathway Genomics, a doctor
orders the test, receives the results
electronically, and interprets them for
the patient, usually with the help of a
script provided
Pathway
by Pathway.
Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Dallas,
you can bring the results from the
Pathway Fit Report to a specially
prepped Equinox trainer who will
help you figure out the healthiest
ways to eat and work out. It’s a
lively grab bag that looks into your
genes for things like food cravings,
the risk of having lower levels of
various vitamins (A, B2, B6, B12,
C, D, and E), and some common
food sensitivities. Then there are
the questions about the most
effective fitness regimen: Are you
likely, genetically speaking, to be
the sort of person who readily puts
on muscle from weight training, or,
conversely, will aerobic endurance
work efficiently tune up your
metabolism? Odds are experience
has already given you answers here,
but some of the other tests may
prove useful, like one that looks
at your propensity for Achilles
tendinopathy (which will make you
want to start stretching your calves
daily) or your body-mass response
to exercise (which could give you a
hint about the best strategy to shed
those last 10 pounds).
carb, or Mediterranean diet to stay
healthy and lose weight?
For its part, Pathway cherry-picks
79 genetic markers that it matches
against data from population studies.
People with one genotype are more
likely to have higher than average
“good” HDL cholesterol when they
eat less animal fat. If you share that
genetic profile, it
may be evidence
The part of
that you would do
Pathway
best with a low-fat
diet. Your genetic
Fit that has
variations might
attracted
instead match those
in a population
the most
who eat a lot of the
monounsaturated
attention
fats found in
draws on
avocados and olive
oil and tend to be
genetics to
thinner. In this case,
personalize
your results will
push you toward a
nutrition
Mediterranean diet.
advice.
– Joseph Hooper
has gone the
farthest in
creatively
interpreting
With Pathway
Fit, Pathway has
genomic data
gone the farthest
to make it
in creatively
practical, The part of Pathway Fit that has
interpreting
genomic data to
accessible, and attracted the most attention draws
make it practical,
even gym-ready on genetics to personalize nutrition
accessible, and
Genes for
the Gym
even gym-ready. Starting with a pilot
program planned for this fall at six
Equinox gyms in the San Francisco
Pathway Genomics Corporation
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advice. The panel will, in theory,
put to rest the controversy that
has launched a host of diet books:
Should you be on a low-fat, low-
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Pathway Genomics Corporation
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[email protected]
1
DNA of Champions
Some of my genes predict athleticism.
I have apparently nurtured the other ones.
I have come
to accept that I
am never going
to compete
in the Winter
Olympics. This is largely
because I have never tried any
of the sports. In fact, I have
avoided all athletic activities of
any kind for my entire life. I’ve
always assumed that through
no fault of my own, I was born
without the genes that would
make me able to ski and then
stop skiing and shoot things,
or to steer a bobsled after a
giant man pushed us downhill.
To find out if I was
right, Pathway Genomics,
which uses a spit sample to
deliver nutrition and exercise
recommendations tailored
to your genes, compared my
DNA with that of Olympic
gold medalist Sergei Bubka,
the greatest pole vaulter of
all time. I was guessing that
of our approximately 20,000
proteincoding genes, most of
mine would be too covered in
fat for Pathway to read.
I went over my results with a
Pathway doctor and found out,
to my great disappointment,
that Bubka and I were created
similarly. We both have the
“speed gene,” a variation of
AcTN3, which is found in
fasttwitch muscle fibers. Bubka
uses it to generate speed on
the track, and I use it to type
really fast. We also both lack
a gene that would show we’re
prone to injury, as well as
one that would give us the
increased aerobic capacity
of an endurance athlete. We
both have a gene that probably
leads to overeating, a tendency
that I have controlled through
will power and that Bubka
controlled by growing up with
Ukrainian food. The main
difference between us is that
I figured out that writing is
much easier than propelling
myself two stories in the air
by running as fast as I can and
shoving a stiff fiberglass pole
into a metal box.
But when I looked
more closely at our results,
I saw that the gene INSIG2
shows that strength training
is very effective for Bubka
and not at all for me, which
I have somehow intuited all
these years and therefore
avoided picking up and putting
down heavy things. “Sergei
is in a sense gifted when it
comes to constant pressure
and constant pressure on
muscles. This is consistent with
Olympic athletes,” said Jim
Plante, the CEO and founder
of Pathway. Bubka also gets a
hugely advanced benefit from
endurance training. I don’t
get the same results, though I
do get a higher-than-average
benefit from the training,
along with, apparently, a gene
that allows me to forget I ever
learned that fact, so I can
continue to not go to the gym
without feeling extra guilty.
I called Bubka in
Sochi, where he is attending
the Olympics as an IOC
executive board member and
president of the National
Olympic Committee in
Ukraine, so I could compare
our youths and find out where
someone with my excellent
genes had gone wrong. Bubka
was at a loud party right before
the opening ceremony, and he
DNA of Champions
by Joel Stein
Time Magazine, February 2014
has a pretty thick accent, but
I’m positive that when I asked
him how Sochi was, he said,
“It’s really nice. Great food.
Excellent villages.” Having
grown up in the Soviet Union,
Bubka probably doesn’t define
nice in a way that includes
things such as bathrooms or
doorknobs.
Bubka wasn’t surprised by
his genetic results, since he’s
always been better at shortterm, strength-oriented sports.
“I was fastest and strongest of
all my friends. I played sports
most of the time with older
guys,” he told me. When he
was just 10, an older friend
named Slava insisted that his
pole-vaulting coach let Bubka
try the sport, even though
Bubka was considered way
too young. When I tried pole
vaulting two years ago with
Olympian Brad Walker, I could
neither clear the lowest level
nor get Walker to stop making
fun of me.
Genetic testing of
athletic ability, Bubka said,
should be administered to
child athletes, as Uzbekistan
has announced it will start
doing, so that kids won’t waste
time and money pursuing
the wrong sport for their
ability. I thought this idea was
problematic in that someone
might have used testing results
to make me play a sport.
As much as genes
do matter, Bubka said, the
key to Olympic success is that
“you need to have character
to go to your goal, to do your
work, to be a hard worker.”
Actually, however, Pathway
told me, though it isn’t part
of the results they normally
give, that both Bubka and I
have a version of the DRD2
gene, which suggests that
we respond positively to
rewards, learn from mistakes,
can be obsessive and have a
low risk of addiction. Other
genotypes that are even less
well understood might indicate
that we both are particularly
driven. So in a way, I am more
impressive than Bubka because
I have had to work hard to
fight my genes in order to be as
lazy as I am. One day, I hope,
the Olympics will recognize
that as medal-worthy. ■
Source: http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2165473,00.html
Pathway Genomics Corporation
|
www.pathway.com
|
877.505.7374
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[email protected]
2
THE BODY / TREND
DO YOU HAVE
SKINNY GENES?
THE DNA DIETING METHOD IS THE LATEST CRAZE IN
THE WEIGHT-LOSS WORLD. ITS CLAIM: THE SECRET TO
A BETTER BODY IS INSIDE EACH OF US—LITERALLY.
THE PROMISE OF MINING OUR GENETIC CODE TO PREVENT DISEASE
(see: the Human Genome Project) is taking a back seat to the breakthrough the fitness-obsessed have been waiting for: using our genes
to fight fat. Although science has demonstrated that low-carb diets
(Dr. Atkins is the forefather) and low-fat diets (pushed hardest by
Dr. Dean Ornish) can be effective, research also shows they don’t work
equally well for everybody. A Stanford study suggests that DNA may
be a big piece of the one-size-doesn’t-fit-all puzzle: Subjects who ate a
diet tailored to their genetic type lost twice as much weight as those
whose diets and genes were not in sync. If having your genes analyzed
to slim down sounds like science fiction to you, consider these three
accessible and increasingly popular new ways to get diet and fitness
advice based on your DNA.
AT THE
DOCTOR’S
OFFICE
THE CONCEPT
The San Diego–based
lab Pathway Genomics has crunched the
academic-research
literature and come
up with a procedure
that looks at 80 genetic markers that
affect the way the
body processes carbs,
fats, and protein and
how it will likely respond to exercise.
You hand your trainer
a test tube of saliva
and $400 and complete a lifestyle-andhealth questionnaire,
then Pathway sends
the customized dietand-exercise report
to your doctor. The
company recommends
one of four diets:
low-fat, low-carb,
Mediterranean (heavy
on the “good” fats
found in fish and olive
oil), and balanced (a
generic healthy diet).
You (or your doctor)
can discuss the
results with a Pathway genetic counselor
or nutritionist, for no
extra charge.
THE PLAN
About 30 percent of
Pathway’s clients are
prescribed a low-fat
regimen: Because
their bodies don’t do a
good job of breaking
down and processing
fats, they’re put on
a diet that skimps on
animal fats, dairy, and
fried foods, which
should decrease the
amount of LDL, a.k.a.
bad cholesterol. They
pick up the caloric
slack with fruits, vegetables, and whole
THE CONTROVERSY:
DOES IT WORK?
YES: “A lot of the data is not ready for prime time,
but there probably is value added,” says Dave
Kaufman, of Johns Hopkins’ Genetics & Public
Policy Center. Cardiologist Samir Damani, who
offers Pathway testing at his San Diego practice,
says genetic data adds “granularity and accuracy”
to his diet and exercise advice. “It’s a hell of a lot
better than a doctor recommending whatever fad
diet is going around,” he says.
NO: “I’d still call it recreational genetics,” says
Dr. Joann Bodurtha, a visiting professor in the
McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine
at Johns Hopkins University. “The science has
gotten better, but what bothers me is the potential overpromising. I don’t see any data to
suggest that you wouldn’t do better spending
your money on a nutritionist.”
BY JOSEPH HOOPER Ǧ
BARTHOLOMEW COOKE
PH OTOGR AP HS, TH IS PAGE, BY BR IA N T. SI LA K. GR OO MI NG B Y AN NA B ERNA B E / E X C L U S I V E A R T I S T S / O RI B E . CA S T I N G B Y
EDWA RD KIM AT T HE EDI T DES K. SH OR TS BY NUM BER LA B. SH OES B Y AS I CS. O P P OS I T E : S T Y L I N G BY A LI S E A R ATO.
THE REGIMEN
grains. Low-carb
candidates (another
30 percent of Pathway clients) don’t
efficiently chop up
complex carbohydrates to burn as
energy, which means
some of the carbs
are converted into
fat. This group is
advised to steer clear
of breads, cereals,
and grains and close
the caloric gap with
lean, clean protein
(fish, poultry), fruits,
and non-starchy
veggies. The Mediterranean diet is tailored
to the 20 percent
of clients whose
genes don’t point
them toward low-fat
or low-carb diets
but predispose
them to receive a
greater-than-average
health boost from
good-for-you fats,
which raise their HDL
levels—hence the
plan’s emphasis on
fish, nuts, and olive
oil. The remaining 20
percent of people are
put on Pathway’s balanced diet, because
their genes have no
telling variations. This
all-purpose, textbook
healthy plan loads
up on brightly colored
produce (carrots
to cantaloupe, blueberries to broccoli),
whole grains like
quinoa and brown
rice, fish, beans, and
lean poultry.
AT THE GYM
THE CONCEPT
At Equinox health
clubs in Los Angeles’
Century City and
Greenwich, Connecticut (and coming
eventually to most
of the chain’s gyms
across the country),
you produce $300
and a test tube of
saliva. Your sample is
sent to the L.A.-based
preventive-medicine
company Existence
Genetics, which looks
for variations in your
genes that indicate
everything from your
chances of developing
arthritis to your risk
of toppling over from
a heart attack on the
treadmill. The results
help you choose the
right diet-and-workout regimen.
THE PLAN
The gym will recommend a customized
training-diet program.
Surprisingly, it’s Equinox’s younger, seemingly in-the-know
clientele who are
the most in the dark.
“We find that our
younger males are
the ones with the
least sophisticated
knowledge relative
to nutrition,” says
Matt Berenc, fitness
manager at the Century City club. “So we
spend a lot of time
working with this
assessment to show
them how to eat
right, be it low-carb
or low-fat,” Berenc
says. “People will
join a gym, will have
goals—whether it’s
to lose weight or get
healthy. This gives
them a little more kick
in the butt.”
AT HOME
THE CONCEPT
In his new book, The
Hunter/Farmer Diet Solution, Dr. Mark Liponis,
medical director for
the Canyon Ranch
spas, has outlined a
low-tech way to make
the low-carb/low-fat
call. He discerns your
genetic type with
routine annual lab
tests and by eyeballing body shape, which
he believes can reveal
your evolutionary
history. If you’re a
“hunter,” you carry
your weight in your
belly, mostly because
you process sugar
slowly, which allowed
your ancestors to
retain their bloodsugar levels, and thus
their energy, between
kills. The results of
your annual physical
will probably include
higher-than-average
triglycerides. But
if you have more
“farmer” genes, you
tend to pack pounds
on your thighs and
buttocks, even
though you’re a
doctor’s-office high
performer (healthy
cholesterol, triglyceride, and blood-sugar
readings). Your ancestors’ bodies adapted
over millennia to
handle grains and
cereals in a way
that quickly converts
carbs into energy.
THE PLAN
To lose weight, hunters need to cut back
on refined carbs,
which keep bloodsugar and insulin
levels too high and
send you down
the pre-diabetic path.
“If your ancestors
couldn’t hunt it
or forage it, don’t
eat it,” Liponis says.
Stay on the hunter
schedule—eating
fewer and bigger
meals (read: when
you get a kill). Farmer
types, on the other
hand, need to avoid
overdoing highcalorie, artery-clogging animal fats,
eating baked
potatoes instead
of fries, broiled
chicken and fish
instead of fried.
They can graze as
often as they like
(granolas, berries,
and nonfat yogurt
are perfect) to boost
energy levels. J
GET SOCCER-PLAYER
LEGS IN 30 MINUTES
Sure, players like Ronaldo, Messi, and Beckham were blessed
with preternatural ball-handling skills, but their ridiculously
well-built thighs are the result of hard training. A recent study
in the International Journal of Sports Medicine found that a mix
of high-intensity endurance and strength training made elite
players faster and more powerful. Complete this circuit, from
the study’s coauthor Jan Helgerud, a professor of medicine at
the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, two to
three times a week and you’ll have the abs and legs of a baller
in no time. Lindsey Emery
WARM-UP
Jog (or walk) at an easy to moderate pace for 6 to 10 minutes, switching
up your direction—from moving backward, sideways, and forward—every
couple of minutes.
CARDIO
STRENGTH
On a treadmill, do four 4-minute
intervals running on an incline of 3
to 5.5 percent (work up to the top
incline; start by walking at a 5 to
10 percent incline if you need to),
at 80 percent effort. After each run,
give yourself a 3-minute recovery
interval (walking or jogging at your
warm-up pace).
Do four half-squats: Stand with
feet shoulder-width apart, holding
a 20-pound dumbbell in each hand,
arms by sides, and bend knees 90
degrees; hold for a beat, then rise,
squeezing your glutes. Rest for 1
minute and repeat. Do four sets; as
you adjust to the routine over time,
increase the weight.
D E TA I L S AU G U S T 2012
65
Pathway Genomics Corporation
(858) 217-4358
4755 Nexus Center Drive
[email protected]
San Diego CA, 92121
www.pathway.com