Next Generation of Genetic Test For Baldness Unveiled By HairDX

Next Generation of Genetic Test For Baldness Unveiled By HairDXIRVINE, Calif.CA-HAIRDX

IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Pharmacogenomics research and development innovator PharmaGenoma, Inc. and its subsidiary HairDX, LLC (www.hairdx.com), today unveiled the next generation of its genetic screening test for male pattern baldness. The HairDX test is available immediately thru qualified physicians’ offices.

Using the HairDX test, a physician can tell a man who tests positive for the high risk genetic variant that he has approximately a 70% chance of going bald. Similarly, a physician can tell a man who tests negative for the high risk genetic variant that he has approximately a 70% chance of not going bald.

‘The next generation test report is based on a pooled data model from multiple peer reviewed studies of over 2,000 Caucasian men. The studies demonstrated the association between the genetic variants measured by the HairDX genetic screening test and the development of Androgenetic Alopecia in men,’ says Andy Goren, HairDX Chairman and Co-Founder.

In addition to the improved clinical validity and utility, the HairDX genetic test now includes genetic markers on the Androgen Receptor (AR) gene as well as on Chromosome 20.

“A recent study demonstrated that Propecia©, the only FDA approved oral prescription medication for the treatment of male pattern baldness, is effective at preventing hair loss over a period of several years. Doctors using the HairDX genetic screening test can offer a treatment plan to prevent hair loss in men of all ages before any visible signs of hair loss,” says Dr. Sharon Keene, Chief Medical Officer for HairDX and former Chairman of the Annual Scientific Committee of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons.

Visible signs of hair loss usually mean that a man has already lost up to 50% of their hair. Early detection via the HairDX genetic screening test provides an opportunity for intervention and treatment before it is too late.

The next generation screening test identifies approximately 70% of men that will benefit from early treatment. As with any screening test, some men will be identified for treatment even though they may not go bald. Confirmatory tests by a qualified physician will eliminate unnecessary treatment.

About HairDX, LLC

HairDX, LLC is a subsidiary of PharmaGenoma, Inc. Based in Irvine, CA, HairDX (www.hairdx.com) HairDX is an FDA registered pharmacogenomics research and development company. HairDX markets the first genetic test for male and female hair loss. The company is dedicated to the research and development of new prescription based therapies tailored to an individual’s genetic make up. HairDX uses only CLIA certified laboratories (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) to perform the genetic analysis.

Among HairDX leaders is William V. Murray former Division President of the Molecular Biology Division of Applied BioSystems, Inc., who formerly served in various executive leadership positions within Medtronic, Inc., Andy Goren former CEO of MobileWise, Inc. and GeePS, Inc., David Teckman, former CEO of Sutura, Inc, a medical device company, Professor Doron Lancet, PhD, Head of the Crown Human Genome Center at the Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Dr. Elon Pras, Director of the Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center in Tel-Hashomer, Israel, Sharon Keene, MD and President and Medical Director of Physician’s Hair Institute, in Tucson, Arizona and nationally recognized for her pioneering work in the hair transplant field, and Elliott J. Stein, an intellectual property attorney and co-founder of GeePS, Inc.

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Genetic test for hair loss 2.0 arrives

As genomic science marches forward, the booming genetic testing industry has spawned a new and improved way for males to avert the agony of male pattern baldness. The folks at HairDX, the company that last January arrived first on the scene with a genetic test for baldness, say that the discovery of several new genetic markers for hair loss — on Chromosome 20 and in the Androgen Receptor gene –have allowed them to refine (think “new and improved!”) their services to men everywhere.

Androgenetic Alopecia, or male pattern baldness, is the most common form of baldness. By the age of 35, two-thirds of men have begun losing hair and by 50, 85% have lost an appreciable portion of their locks. A man’s risk of developing what the American Hair Loss Assn. calls “this emotionally devastating disorder” increases with age. And by the time a man notices that he is losing his hair, warn the purveyors of the new genetic test, baldness has already gained a solid foothold, with as much as 50% of one’s hair already gone.

Early detection is key, they add.

At a cost of $149, the new-generation HairDX genetic test will let physicians tell men whether they have a genetic variation that gives them a 70% probability of going bald. In the absence of this genetic variant, the news is a bit better: A man can expect, with 70% confidence, that he will not have a shiny head. That is a slightly higher level of prediction than could be had in HairDX’s first-generation hair loss genetic test, says a company spokesman.

The news of the Hair Loss 2.0 genetic test was greeted with some derision by certain nabobs of genetic negativism.

“When Congress appropriated the millions of dollars to sequence the human genome and to fund the successor project, their hopes and aspirations clearly were to find a solution to baldness, and Hallelujah, we’re only steps away,” said Kathy Hudson, director of the Center for Genetics and Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University. “Our work is done.”

Hudson did worry aloud about whether those who are at high risk of future comb-over — or who had been given warning but didn’t take action — could still be subject to employment discrimination. Now, there’s a public policy implication worth pondering.

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