Personalis Announces Participation in the European Society of Human Genetics Conference

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MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Personalis, Inc. today announced that it will be exhibiting at the European Society of Human Genetics Conference in Paris, France beginning Sunday, June 9, 2013. Personalis will launch its Genome Services for Research and Clinical samples, focusing on accuracy in sequencing, analysis, and interpretation of human genomes to the European market.

Personalis Genome Services include our Accuracy and Content Enhanced (ACE) Exome technology. Using additional custom targeted capture, we aim to finish genes in the medical exome and add medically interpretable content outside the exons. This has been shown to benefit work in medical genetics, pediatrics, cardiology, neurology, psychiatry, pharmacogenomics, and other areas of medicine.

Clinical quality genome interpretation also requires accurate and comprehensive databases of genetic variation. Personalis has the largest and most comprehensive manually-curated database in the world linking genetic variation with disease. We have also signed an exclusive license for commercialization of PharmGKB, the premier database linking genetic variation with drug metabolism and adverse events. Personalis also annotates genomes with information from over 30 databases. When combined with Personalis ACE (Accuracy and Content Enhanced) Technology for exome sequencing and powerful variant calling algorithms, researchers and clinicians are able to rapidly obtain the most comprehensive sequence analysis available. Personalis CEO, John West, stated We are pleased to extend this offering to the European community and are committed to expanding our global footprint to enable researchers and clinicians worldwide to take advantage of our products.

About Personalis

Personalis provides researchers and clinicians accurate DNA sequencing and interpretation of human genomes. Our ACE (Accuracy and Content Enhanced) Technology can supplement a standard exome or genome, substantially increasing its medically-relevant coverage and accuracy. Personalis builds on that with innovativealgorithms and proprietary databases for alignment, variant calling, annotation, and analysis. With this combination, we provide genomic data and interpretation of the highest accuracy.

Personalis has an exceptional team of scientific, medical and industry experts. Our R&D team brings directly relevant commercial experience from seven different DNA sequencing companies and scientific & medical expertise from the top universities in the world. This group has been deeply involved in many of the advances of recent years, and has a long track record of peer reviewed publications. We see enormous potential in human genome sequencings next big step: accurate interpretation.

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Personalis Announces Participation in the European Society of Human Genetics Conference

Group proposes health care increase for schools

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Impending mandates from the Affordable Care Act are likely to contribute to increased health care costs locally.

Officials with Butler Health Plan a countywide health care consortium covering 13 public school districts and 12,000 lives have been outlining the proposed 2014 plan changes to boards of education and school staff.

Stephanie Hearn, executive director, said the board of trustees of BHP is making recommendations for 2014 plan designs based on local trends and the market as a whole, including the increasing costs of specialty medications, high cost claimants and new fees under the Affordable Care Act.

Main recommendations for 2014, contingent on board approval, are to increase co-pays from $25 to $30 for primary care physicians; increase co-pay for specialists from $40 to $50; and increase Preferred Provider Organization deductibles from $500 to $650, with a $150 wellness credit available.

The wellness screenings and preventive measures have positive health and monetary affects for BHP members and overall school districts, including fewer physician visits and claims, and fewer teachers and employees using sick time, said Richard Packert, a BHP trustee and 29-year Middletown teacher.

Overall were trying to provide a quality health plan for a good price, Packert said.

Employees have until Aug. 1 to complete the wellness screening to receive credit in districts including Hamilton, Middletown, Ross and Monroe. The BHP board is also recommending the removal of secondary coverage for prescription drugs and addition of two more dental plans.

Packert said he held an open membership meeting for the Middletown staff before the school year ended to outline plan changes.

Overwhelmingly our members are in support, Packert said. It gives our members a say, it gives our employees a voice.

School districts in Butler County will be asked to endorse the plan design changes this month. Districts including Fairfield and Talawanda endorsed the changes during meetings in May.

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Group proposes health care increase for schools

Health care questions answered during forum

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By JANICE R. KIASKI - Herald-Star community editor , The Herald-Star

STEUBENVILLE - They came with questions and got some answers as the GFWC/OFWC Woman's Club of Steubenville facilitated a community dialogue Monday afternoon about the implications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare.

The informational Obama Health Care Forum attracted about 300 Tri-State Area residents to Eastern Gateway Community College where Donna Keagler served as moderator and event committee member along with club President Kathy Mills, Marge Bedortha, Judy Brancazio, Eileen Krupinski and Shirley Valuska.

"We really want to thank you very, very much for your interest, your attendance and your active participation," Keagler said in opening remarks echoed by Mills.

MAKING A POINT Kathy Magushak, right, certified insurance counselor with McBane Insurance, makes a point during Mondays forum on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The event organized by the GFWC/OFWC Womans Club of Steubenville was held at Eastern Gateway Community College and included the participation of numerous panel members with expertise in varied areas. With Magushak are, from left, Donna Keagler, moderator; Kathy Mills, club president; and Al Macre, certified public accountant. - Janice Kiaski

"It is with a great deal of pleasure that the woman's club is able to bring this program to you today," Keagler said. "The panel you see in front of you has worked very, very hard to try to bring the leaders in our government to Steubenville to give you some insight as to what's going on with the law," she said.

"Much of that bill has already been implemented - you just haven't seen it yet - and what we're hopeful of doing today is being able to bring to you the most up-to-date, accurate, honest information that we can," Keagler said. "This is not a debate. There's nothing we can do about it at this point. It's been passed. The best we can do is understand it."

The more than two-hour forum began with an introduction of the panelists who explained their area of expertise and their interest in participating, all in an effort, Keagler said, to arm forum attendees with "good information."

Sarah E. Poulton was the featured speaker who gave a PowerPoint presentation about some of the basics of the mandate. Poulton works out of the Salem office of U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, as director of constituent services, specializing in health care, Medicare and Social Security issues.

"I have been working closely with this law for about two-and-a-half years, but like a lot of people I would not call myself an expert. I am learning every single day like everyone else," Poulton said.

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Health care questions answered during forum

Voxiva Partners with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care to Deliver Personalized Diabetes Support to Plan Members via Mobile …

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WASHINGTON, June 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Voxiva, Inc., a pioneer in interactive mobile health programs, announced today that members of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care are now able to enroll in Care4Life(SM), a personalized diabetes self-management program delivered to their mobile phones. Care4Life combines the best in diabetes education with proven evidence-based behavior change techniques. The program uses text messages, a personal online web portal and a mobile website to connect, engage and support people living with diabetes.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130122/PH45632LOGO )

"We pride ourselves on offering innovative resources to help our members better manage their conditions. Care4Life is consistent with our vision because it is a very personal and interactive way to engage participants in taking an active role in their health and living well with diabetes," says Lydia Bernstein, Director, Clinical Programs, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.

Care4Life provides education, medication and appointment reminders, blood glucose tracking, weight/exercise goal setting and tracking, and a motivational virtual coach. Care4Life also contains information from American Diabetes Association publications including healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and information on disease management. Along with increases in medication/appointment attendance and weight loss, Care4Life participants are more knowledgeable, confident and effective in managing their diabetes.

"Harvard Pilgrim is the top-ranked health plan in the US because of their commitment to improved member health and satisfaction. Care4Life supports this commitment with an innovative and personalized approach for people with type 2 diabetes. We look forward to many members utilizing this service to improve their quality of life," says Voxiva CEO, Justin Sims.

Surveys of Care4Life participants show:

In addition, clinical study results measuring the effectiveness of Care4Life are expected to be published in the coming months.

Care4Life's text messages were developed by Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CDE, author of the American Diabetes Association book, Your First Year With Diabetes, and 2004 AADE Diabetes Educator of the Year. "It is the daily reinforcement of desired behavior that's so unique about Care4Life," according to Garnero. "Interactive text messaging, combined with an online log that is built one text message at a time, will reinforce the guidance provided by the patient's educator and care team."

To learn more, contact Voxiva Inc. at (202) 419-0179 or info@voxiva.com.

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Voxiva Partners with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care to Deliver Personalized Diabetes Support to Plan Members via Mobile ...

Treatment by health care teams improves outcomes for Type 2 diabetes or depression patients – Approach also best for …

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OTTAWA, June 5, 2013 /CNW/ - Canadian productivity would grow substantially, and people living with either Type 2 diabetes or depression would have better health outcomes, if they were treated by a team of health care professionals rather than solo practitioners; according to a new Conference Board of Canada study.

Currently less than half of patients with either of these two conditions receive treatment from teams of health and social service providers who are working together in interprofessional primary care (IPC) teams. An IPC team is a group of primary health care professionals from different disciplines who formally work together - traditional examples include family health clinics and community health centres.

The report, Improving Primary Health Care Through Collaboration: Briefing 3Measuring the Missed Opportunity, shows that treating more patients in health care teams would reduce medical complications and deaths from Type 2 diabetes. In addition, teams would reduce the total loss of productivity attributed to depression by an estimated eight per cent - enabling thousands of workers to join or rejoin the workforce. The overall gains to productivity would add billions of dollars to the Canadian economy.

"Chronic conditions are emerging as one of the great health challenges for Canadians. These long-term conditions can be better managed in interdisciplinary primary care teams than in acute care hospitals," said Thy Dinh, Senior Research Associate, Canadian Alliance for Sustainable Health Care. "With health and social services providers working together, interprofessional primary care teams have the potential to be the standard model of care for patients with chronic conditions."

The research determined that IPC teams appeared to be most effective at managing the clinical outcomes of Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes and symptoms of depression in adults.

Prevalence of both conditions is rising in Canada. In 2011, there were an estimated 1.6 million Type 2 diabetes cases and an estimated two million depression cases. A 2012, the Conference Board report estimated that mental health cost $20.7 billion annually.

For adults with Type 2 diabetes, other research has indicated that primary care teams surpassed solo practitioners in controlling blood glucose, bad (LDL) cholesterol and blood pressure - which, in turn, lowered complications such as strokes, heart attacks and other conditions (up to and including death).

For depression patients, teams were shown to help control symptoms better than primary care physicians working in solo practices.

If the percentage of Type 2 diabetes patients under the care of teams rose from 38 per cent to 100 per cent, an estimated $657 million in costs could be reduced annually. This includes $263 million in direct costs due to fewer complications such as strokes and heart attacks, and $394 million in indirect costs (generally associated with loss of current and future income). Even if 100 per cent coverage of patients is unrealistic, savings can still be generated by incrementally increasing the share of patients covered by teams. For example, each percentage point of Type 2 diabetes patients that receives care in teams could reduce direct health costs by $4 million annually.

For depression conditions, the benefits are mostly to society measured in terms of increased economic activity - largely in the form of an expanded labour force. If the percentage of depressed individuals under the care of teams rose from 44 per cent to 100 per cent, the size of the labour force would grow by the equivalent of 52,000 full-time workers. And every percentage-point-increase in the share of depression patients cared for by teams would save approximately $40 million in indirect costs to the economy per year.

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Treatment by health care teams improves outcomes for Type 2 diabetes or depression patients - Approach also best for ...

Singing "Freedom is Here" at our campsite at Cave Springs with jr high 6-1-13 – Video

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Singing "Freedom is Here" at our campsite at Cave Springs with jr high 6-1-13
Singing songs to Jesus at our "base camp" at Cave Springs. "Freedom is Here". Ignition Junior High Summer Camp trip May 31st - June 3rd. Cave Springs Campsit...

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Singing "Freedom is Here" at our campsite at Cave Springs with jr high 6-1-13 - Video

2013 CIF-North Coast Section Division I Softball Championship: Freedom vs. James Logan – Video

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2013 CIF-North Coast Section Division I Softball Championship: Freedom vs. James Logan
Tune in Saturday, June 1, at 5:00 PM EDT to see Freedom vs. James Logan Softball Championships LIVE at St. Mary #39;s College, Moraga, California. Participants Freedom High School, James...

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2013 CIF-North Coast Section Division I Softball Championship: Freedom vs. James Logan - Video

Freedom High softball team advances to NCS Division I championship game

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The Freedom High softball team's season ended June 1 with a 4-1 loss to James Logan in the North Coast Section Division I championship game at Saint Mary's College in Moraga.

But the Falcons surprised most observers just by making it to the title game.

Freedom, which won the Bay Valley Athletic League title, entered the Division I playoffs as the No. 5 seed and were on the same side of the bracket as No. 1 Amador Valley. After a 6-5 quarterfinal road win over No. 4 Castro Valley on May 24 in which they scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning, the Falcons were in line to face Amador Valley.

But after San Ramon Valley upset the Dons 4-1, the Falcons got to host the Wolves in the semifinals. After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, Freedom scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run by Emma Ryan and a two-run blast by Raegan Ternes.

That was enough offense for pitcher Maddie Williams, who shut out San Ramon Valley over the last six innings and finished with nine strikeouts and just one walk.

The victory moved the Falcons into the Division I championship game for the first time 2010, and the opponent was the same as it was four years ago -- James Logan.

Freedom threatened to score in the first inning but a runner was thrown out at home plate by Colts' outfielder Alexis Mattos to keep the game scoreless.

James Logan scored three runs in the second inning as Tayler Peters doubled to left

Freedom scored its run in the top of the sixth inning and Adrienne Davenport and Ternes combined for four of the Falcons' six hits off Logan pitcher RaeAnn Garza.

Williams finished the year with a 19-5-1 record and a 1.61 ERA in 148 innings. Lyvie Ilayan led Freedom's offense with a .400 batting average, 30 RBIs and 22 runs scored.

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Freedom High softball team advances to NCS Division I championship game