New Genome-Sequencing Approach to Heart Disease Risk Assessment

Established Northern California health solutions leader, Neda Razavi oversees product marketing of automated end-to-end sequencing systems at Roche Diagnostics. From product management to defining global marketing commercialization strategy, Neda Razavi possesses in-depth knowledge of personalized medicine, relying on genome information to provide individualized treatments for patients with complex conditions.

DNA and RNA sequencing data can help scientists identify specific genes using diseases that are a potent tool compared to assessing symptoms alone. Genome sequencing offered additional specificity and increased specificity compared to traditional diagnostics techniques such as CT-scan, MRI, or Immunoassays. Genome sequencing provided patients and healthcare providers with detailed information to find possible changes in genes that cause inherited diseases such as heart disease. Many grants and new funding initiated to address main human diseases such as heart diseases. NIH genome sequencing program targets the genomic bases of common, rare diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and autism.

A significant new trial in this field is underway at Genomics, operating out of Oxford University in England since 2014. In early April 2021, the company announced the launch of the trial focused on the analysis of blood samples, with genome sequencing used to assess heart disease risks. The UK government-sponsored NHS pilot project involves 1,000 volunteers.

A similar program, scaled up to 5,000 patients and recruiting those between 40 and 60 years old, is set to run soon in California at Stanford Hospitals. Participants donate a blood sample analyzed by Genomics for genetic patterns, utilizing an algorithm-aided technology platform.

Even in cases where no current symptoms exist, some of the patterns identified are associated with elevated heart attack risk later in life. The personal polygenic risk score generated will be used in tandem with current clinical risk-prediction tools, which rely on factors such as cholesterol levels and body mass index, to identify cardiovascular risk.

Genetic variants testing is gaining momentum in cardiovascular disease, and it is helping improve diagnosis and precision treatment. Researcher race to understanding the impact of genetic variation on the diseases will greatly contribute to our abilities to examine the effect of drugs on a selected group of patients with a similar gene variant composition. Although it will take time for newly discovered mutations associated with heart disease to become part of the clinical testing regimen, improved sequencing techniques, and reduced cost of sequencing will greatly contribute to the increased discovery of genetic variants and adaption of the diagnosis in clinical sequencing.

Genomics for gene therapy; Bluebird Bio Gene Therapy for Beta-Thalasem

Neda Razavi has enjoyed a successful track record across the biotech, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic industries. She develops marketing and commercialization strategy for products around the world with Roche Diagnostics as the lead of product marketing for a portfolio of automated sequencing library prep. With a bachelor of science in microbiology and cellular biology as well as a certificate in genomics and genetics from Stanford University, Neda Razavi maintains a passionate interest in genomics and genetics sciences, especially for clinical applications such as women’s health, human genomics, inherited genetic diseases and oncology.

Since its introduction in the 1990s, the prospects of gene therapy in clinical practice created great excitement and publicity. There have been many learnings along the way as early clinical trials represented gene transfer into patients with possible short-term effects but not permanently affecting the disease. A critical re-evaluation of approaches such as the development of new vectors for more targeted treatments has been crucial for the update of gene therapy. Gene therapy –the addition of the gene to restore a loss of function of two alleles mutation– is most effective in recessively inherited single-gene disorders. However, most gene therapy protocols are focused on multifactorial diseases such as malignancies where the therapeutic approach is quite different.

The fight against inherited single-gene diseases starts at the population level by carrier screening and prenatal testing, where parents undergo screening for specific genes that causes genetic diseases. The parents will have the option to terminate the pregnancy if the disease identified early in the cycle.

One innovator, Bluebird bio, has developed Zynteglo as gene therapy for Beta-thalassemia (beta-thal), a rare, inherited condition. The genetic disease involves functional adult beta-globin (HBB) production that is absent or significantly reduced. HBB is an essential component of hemoglobin, an oxygen-carrying protein found in the blood. A primary role of hemoglobin is to transport oxygen to various tissues from the lungs and, in turn, bring carbon dioxide from the tissues back into the lungs.

When beta-thal is present, mutations in the HBB gene occur that impact healthy red blood cells’ development and survival. Until very recently, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was the only permanent curative option available for patients suffering from transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia. Transfusion-dependent beta-thal is a severe form that involves severe anemia and requires lifelong blood transfusions for HBB-level maintenance. Unfortunately, the transfusions carry a risk of unavoidable iron overload and progressive multi-organ damage. Bluebird bio is seeking to “recode the building blocks” with a more efficient and less invasive gene therapy approach that holds the promise of significantly improving the lives of patients with severe beta-thal.

Hemophilia A and B are other coagulation conditions that are great candidates for gene therapy. Per Hemophilia News Today, gene therapy for hemophilia involves using a modified virus (which does not cause disease) to introduce a copy of the gene that encodes for the clotting factor that’s missing in patients. Following treatment with the virus, patients should begin producing their own clotting factor normally.

The most innovative new technology enabling gene therapy is the invention of CRISPR/Cas9 that could allow a patient’s body to produce its own blood clotting factor. It uses a piece of genetic material and an enzyme that acts like molecular scissors to repair the genetic fault that causes clotting factor deficiency.

UniQure, Freeline, Sparks Therapeutics in partnership with Pfizer, Sangamo Therapeutics, and Biomarine are among the innovative companies developing gene therapy treatment for hemophilia A and B patients. Their clinical trials recruited a range of 10-30 patients each and the entire community is anxiously awaiting the results of this revolutionary treatment.

Key Aspects of a Personalized Marketing Campaign

An experienced marketing executive, Neda Razavi serves as the head of product marketing, library prep, and sequencing solutions with Roche Diagnostics. Neda Razavi applies personalized marketing strategies to promote various health care solutions.

Customers take mere seconds to decide how they will respond to a marketing campaign. They receive numerous marketing messages every day. Personalized marketing can enable brands to stand out by targeting content toward customers based on their behavior.

A recent Forbes article outlines a few steps that marketers can take to develop personalized marketing strategies. The first is to create profiles of who the ideal customers are. Subsequently, marketing strategies can be developed based on their unique needs. Marketers can then develop an understanding of what is important to these customers and why they would want to use a particular product.

After customer profiles are created, the next step is to identify the features that they find indispensable in the product and what they hope to achieve by using it. Marketers can find out this information through customer surveys and reviews. This will enable them to tailor their content to what these customers are seeking.

The Role of Data in Driving Personalized Marketing

A healthcare marketing executive, Neda Razavi is the head of product marketing, sequencing solutions, and library prep at Roche Diagnostics in Menlo Park, California. In this capacity, Neda Razavi develops digital marketing strategies to drive growth.

From the one-size-fits-all ads that were prevalent in the early years of the Internet, digital strategies have evolved to incorporate data-informed content that is tailored to specific demographics and coordinated over a range of devices and platforms.

From search history statistics to detailed information on social media and website habits, marketers have access to a comprehensive range of actionable data. In addition, a comprehensive profile can be developed through lead generation forms and customer reviews and surveys.

The data reveals not only where to place marketing content, but also the products and topics in which specific consumers are most interested. By understanding the unique goals and requirements of those within specific demographics, content can be created that is non-intrusive and meets practical needs.

Once personalization has been achieved in terms of understanding the consumer, ads can be placed in just the right mix of social media, chat, text, search engine, and email platforms to effectively reach the target audience.