Hereditary genetic tests is a specific type of medical test that helps in identifying the changes in genes, chromosomes, and proteins. Hereditary genetic tests help in confirming a suspected genetic condition that further helps determine a person’s chance of passing or developing a genetic disorder. Chromosomal genetic tests, biochemical genetic tests, and molecular genetic tests (or gene tests) are the different test methods used for conducting hereditary testing.

Hereditary or genomic learning provides insights into the advancement of new healthcare interventions for developing drugs, disease prevention methodologies, and diagnostic techniques. Additionally, laboratory studies have bolstered progression in clinical medicine. The next generation (NGS) technology brought massively high throughput sequencing data for enabling a new era of genomic research. The development of test kits for NGS has offered more opportunities for researchers to use various applications in genomic fields.

Analysts at BIS Research interacted with several industry leaders to identify how the growth trajectory of the hereditary genetic testing market is going to be in the future.

Q. What is the current scenario of the market, and how is it expected to perform in the future?

The current global scenario indicates a shift toward NGS-based diagnostic testing as it offers higher sensitivity and specificity. This is further supported by decreasing sequencing costs and development of molecular biology techniques to work with a minimal amount of starting material (DNA) from different sources (blood, urine, and tissue).

Q. How is the regulatory scenario expected to differ across major economic zones, including Asia-Pacific and the U.S., among other regions?

The regulatory authorities are going to be highly strict with regard to the specifications of each diagnostic test. The regulations are going to be similar in the U.S. and Europe specifically. However, since there are significant differences in the overall healthcare system in both these regions, it has been understood that a stronger economy and/or private healthcare system is better suited to support expensive but necessary diagnostic tests.

Q. What are the significant developments occurring in the reimbursement scenario in the case of genetic testing, and how are these developments expected to affect the adoption of genetic testing in the market?

The major cost involved in any diagnostic test, especially in NGS testing, is sequencing cost and technical expertise of the R&D team. In addition, the cost also depends upon understanding the outcome of the test in the ways it can be used to treat various medical conditions. For instance, a test that can detect actionable mutations is more relevant than a test that can detect biomarkers.

Q. What are the different types of services present in the hereditary genetic testing market?

Hereditary testing is used for checking different health conditions, including oncology, reproductive health, cardiovascular, rare disease, infectious disease, metabolic, and others (neurological and microbiology).