The GeneSight test meets our expectations

My name is Dr. Tianlai Tang. I’m the medical director at Nashville Brain Institute.

We like to recommend some biomarker tests, like the GeneSight test fits that role pretty well. The reason the genetic profile is important is because it can tell you which gene regulates a particular medication metabolism, and also which neurotransmitter is involved in their target of treatment.

The genetic test basically is like a fingerprint. It tells you why your fingerprint is different from another. So based on that, we can tell you are different from another patient based on your gene that metabolizes the medications quite differently from the other person.

Each patient is different. Their genetic composition is also different. It’s very hard to predict how the patient responds to the medication without knowing their genetic profile. If the patient is young, especially for the teenagers, I probably will do the genetic test because the young people have even worse, unpredictable, response to the medication than the adults. And some medication could even make them feel suicidal.

The easy way is to send the GeneSight test kit to the patient’s home so that they can follow the instruction very easily. They can just swab their mouth and follow the instructions and then send it back to the laboratory. I think the genetic test will meet our expectations and also meet the patient’s expectations.

Before the GeneSight test, it took me quite a long time to figure out what was appropriate medication for the patient with less side effects and favorable response. And after the GeneSight test, it helped me get a more quick answer and a quicker response.