CardioDx Inc, Redwood City, Calif, a molecular diagnostics company specializing in cardiovascular genomics, announced that in a scientific statement by the American Heart Association (AHA), the Corus CAD blood test was evaluated and “deemed to be valid and useful” in the workup of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).1 CAD is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, resulting in one in seven deaths.2

Obstructive CAD is defined as at least one atherosclerotic plaque causing ?50% luminal diameter stenosis in a major coronary artery (?1.5 mm lumen diameter) as determined by invasive quantitative coronary angiography or coronary computed tomography angiography (?2.0 mm).

Corus CAD is a commercially available blood test that can safely and conveniently help primary care clinicians and cardiologists assess whether a stable nondiabetic patient’s symptoms may be due to obstructive coronary artery disease.

In its statement, AHA discussed how the expressed genome can now, and in the future, be used to diagnose and predict cardiovascular disease and manage patient treatment. The statement then highlighted two commercially available technologies stemming from this research.

“Since the human genome was sequenced 14 years ago, significant advancements have been made in the field of expressed genome research,” says Kiran Musunuru, MD, PhD, lead author of the statement and associate professor of cardiovascular medicine and genetics at the University of Pennsylvania. “AHA convened a panel of experts to review, evaluate, and publish the state of the science in the diagnosis and prediction of cardiovascular disease with these technologies. We are optimistic that their use and application will continue to grow, enabling their widespread adoption and progress in this field. Our work identified two available tests that had generated sufficient data to be included in our review, including Corus CAD.”

Corus CAD is the only clinically validated blood test that uses age, sex, and gene expression to measure the likelihood of obstructive CAD in symptomatic patients. The test was validated in both the Predict and Compass clinical studies.3,4 The results were then independently confirmed in a third study, the Promise Corus CAD substudy sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.5 With a 96% negative predictive value, the Corus CAD test is a simple blood test that incorporates age, sex, and gene expression measurements into a single score (1–40 scale) corresponding to the current likelihood of obstructive CAD.4

Photo MehtaKhushF

Khush F. Mehta, CardioDx

“We are delighted that the American Heart Association highlighted the clinical value of the Corus CAD test in the recent scientific statement,” says Khush F. Mehta, president and chief executive officer of CardioDx. “With Corus CAD, CardioDx is delivering on the promise of the human genome by empowering clinicians with enhanced solutions for better patient care.”

For more information, visit CardioDX.

 

REFERENCES

  1. Musunuru K, Ingelsson E, Fornage M, et al. The expressed genome in cardiovascular diseases and stroke: refinement, diagnosis, and prediction: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2017;10(4):e1–e25; doi: 10.1161/hcg.0000000000000037.

  1. Benjamin EJ, Blaha MJ, Chiuve SE, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics, 2017 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2017;135(10):e146–e603; doi: 10.1161/cir.0000000000000485.

  1. Rosenberg S, Elashoff MR, Beineke P, et al. Multicenter validation of the diagnostic accuracy of a blood-based gene expression test for assessing obstructive coronary artery disease in nondiabetic patients. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153(7):425–434; doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-153-7-201010050-00005.

  1. Thomas GS, Voros S, McPherson JA, et al. A blood-based gene expression test for obstructive coronary artery disease tested in symptomatic nondiabetic patients referred for myocardial perfusion imaging: the Compass study. Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2013;6(2):154–162; doi: 10.1161/circgenetics.112.964015.

  1. Voora D, Coles A, Lee KL, et al. An age- and sex-specific gene expression score is associated with revascularization and coronary artery disease: insights from the prospective multicenter imaging study for evaluation of chest pain (Promise) trial. Am Heart J. 2017;184:133–140; 10.1016/j.ahj.2016.11.004.