Does anyone have experience with Genome Medical's Invitae testing?

November 14, 2019 5:38 PM

I'm looking specifically for breast cancer testing, but any accounts will do. Here's a link to their site.
posted by dhruva to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

Best answer: I've not been through Invitae's Genome Medical offering but in general Invitae is viewed as performing quality genetic testing and has recently been trying very hard to make such testing available to a broader market, including those whom insurance might not cover. The purpose of the genetic consult is to see if the caller fits into the Genome Medical protocol (low risk, clear family hx, etc) or needs stronger input from a medical geneticist (fuller evaluation, deeper review of records, etc). They offer testing as they can and refer elsewhere as indicated.

So all's good, right? Please be aware that it is unclear how Invitae is funding all this (because their charges don't seem in line with other competitors) so watch for signs of how private your data is kept, or if it is subject to being used for other purposes. Similar to 23andMe and others, it may be that Invitae having a catalog of genetic data to use for other purposes is an underlying/inevitable/side goal.
posted by beaning at 6:19 PM on November 14, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I deal with Invitae on a daily basis, working for a hospital-based Genetics Clinic.

I will say that of all of the genetic labs we use, Invitae is the most pro-active and involved in making sure that our patients pay as little out-of-pocket (as evidenced by this free family variant testing program). I would HIGHLY recommend finding a genetic counselor in your area (you can do that on the NSGC website here) and make an appointment. Any GC worth a damn will know about this Invitae program and would be glad to counsel you about BRCA, etc. testing and use Invitae as the testing laboratory. Feel free to MeMail me if you want more info.
posted by kuanes at 4:33 AM on November 15, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Can confirm Invitae is legit for genetic testing. Major research hospitals are sending their genetic testing to them for processing and analysis.
posted by annie o at 1:59 PM on November 17, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks for your comments, we'll go ahead with this.

kuanes: I might take you up on the offer if needed! Thanks!
posted by dhruva at 5:32 PM on November 19, 2019