Current best APOE genetic test?

[Dan Parkie 234]

My 23andMe results show Apoe3 rs7412 and Apoe4 rs429358. My Genos whole exome results show just Apoe4 rs429358. I'd like to triple check my status. Can anyone recommend the current best genetic test for Apoe?
Thanks,
Dan

[TheresaB]

The BEST? I don’t know. I had 23andMe performed a few years ago and ran that source data through Promethease https://promethease.com/ Promethease told me my ApoE4/4 status, although the SNPs were in the 23andMe data, it just took some digging to find out back then. Promethease produced a nice, no need to dig, report. The cost of Promethease is now $12.

My husband initially found out his status by testing through Labcorp https://www.labcorp.com/test-menu/20331 ... imers-risk, then subsequently did 23andMe and Promethease.

Then we became patients of Dr Steven Gundry, he’s been testing for ApoE4 for about 17 years now, so that was one of many tests he ran on us for our first test. At the time the test was run by Health Diagnostics Laboratory which is now known as True Health Diagnostics

All of the above mentioned tests produced the same results for us.

[Verax]

I'll put in a plug here for GeneMatch, a service of Banner Alzheimer's Institute, where you can get a free test for Apoe. https://www.endalznow.org/GeneMatch It connects volunteers with Alzheimer's prevention studies in the US. The catch is that they don't tell you your status, only refer you or not to a study you might be eligible for, on the basis of that test (so you can figure out if their test shows you are an E4 carrier or not).

You can join GeneMatch if you are 55 to 75 years old, live in the US, and don't have a diagnosis of cognitive impairment such as MCI or AD or any dementia. The clinical trials may have other requirements. For example, Banner's (and Novartis/Amgen's) Generation Study 2 does PET scans to check amyloid, which Medicare doesn't pay for and which cost thousands of dollars.

If you call Banner's GeneMatch (1-888-STOP-ALZ) and tell them you are an E4 carrier on the basis of 23andMe, they might refer you to a study such as the one above, and then you don't need a cheek swab from GeneMatch but the study will do one anyway and then offer some telephone genetic counseling, which the other testing services do not provide, despite the genetic testing guidelines.

I don't mean to recommend GeneMatch simply to confirm your test results but to encourage all to enroll in clinical trials to prevent this dread disease. Some 80% of trials don't end because they don't get enough volunteers, not because they were shown not to work. Many trials at clinicaltrials.gov are ongoing and it costs something like $100,000 per participant to conduct one. Maybe the therapy won't work for you, but if you are a carrier maybe something will be found for your descendants, to cure, prevent, or delay. Most of these clinical trials of drugs don't prevent participants from making suitable lifestyle changes and taking supplements like most of us on this board and will communicate with personal physicians for abnormal results.

I don't recommend Ancestry.com to confirm 23andMe results as their Apoe test reporting is way off base.

I have no reason to distrust 23andMe's labs as they are FDA approved and use good certified testing machines like all the others. If you don't wish to join a clinical trial then getting a repeat, confirmatory test should not be needed in order to help you decide to make the life changes everyone puts off like diet and exercise and end-of-life plans.

[Dan Parkie 234]

Thanks Theresa and Verax. I really appreciate your advice. I found a very interesting article about Sanger sequencing on Wikipedia. That page also has a link to NextGen, which shows a cost estimate of $2400 for Sanger sequencing. I'll post again if I find a financially feasible alternative.
Dan

[MyDestinyisfromGod]

I got really good information from Dash Genomics. It’s $99. But it’s detailed enough to let you know when you’re likely to develop it.

[sealypealy]

23andMe provides testing for APOE Gene. That’s how I found out I’m 4/4. I am a professional laboratory scientist and Molecular technologist, so I understand DNA testing and I can confirm that the laboratory that is used for their testing is CLIA-certified and well respected in the industry. The results are reliable. Their test is around $99.




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[MyDestinyisfromGod]

Yes and they are pretty quick. I should have mentioned you have to do 23 and Me in order to do DASH. I sent my results in to 23andMe. They gave me an estimate of several weeks for the results, but I had them back in probably 10 days.

[RossGH]

This my first post. In 2015 I did the 23andme test and used Promethease to determine that I had 1 copy of the APOE4 gene. I have a history of Alzheimer's in the family and I subsequently signed up for GeneMatch and sent in a cheek swab. In mid 2018 Banner/GeneMatch suggested that I consider the Generations trial and I contacted the local coordinator. At the first meeting the coordinator advised that GeneMatch said I had TWO copies of the gene. I was upset. Respecting the 23andme result the coordinator took another cheek swab and sent it to a lab (Covance) for testing.

When I got home I emailed 23andme - they responded quickly, said this was a concern and they submitted the remains of my original saliva sample for retesting, which takes 2 weeks.

After about a week the Covance test came back with ONE copy of the gene and a week later 23andme reconfirmed One copy. My study coordinator was upset and called GeneMatch etc to notify them of the false result.

The 23andme test from mid 2017 on is FDA approved and stated to be 99.5+% accurate.

[dcox]

This my first post. In 2015 I did the 23andme test and used Promethease to determine that I had 1 copy of the APOE4 gene. I have a history of Alzheimer's in the family and I subsequently signed up for GeneMatch and sent in a cheek swab. In mid 2018 Banner/GeneMatch suggested that I consider the Generations trial and I contacted the local coordinator. At the first meeting the coordinator advised that GeneMatch said I had TWO copies of the gene. I was upset. Respecting the 23andme result the coordinator took another cheek swab and sent it to a lab (Covance) for testing.

When I got home I emailed 23andme - they responded quickly, said this was a concern and they submitted the remains of my original saliva sample for retesting, which takes 2 weeks.

After about a week the Covance test came back with ONE copy of the gene and a week later 23andme reconfirmed One copy. My study coordinator was upset and called GeneMatch etc to notify them of the false result.

The 23andme test from mid 2017 on is FDA approved and stated to be 99.5+% accurate.

Welcome RossGH!
Thank you for posting your experience with genetics testing, I'm sorry you had frustrations along the way. It's good to know that 23andMe was willing to retest in the event of a possible inaccurate result. Hopefully GeneMatch rectified the erroneous result also.

I see you joined ApoE4.info over a year ago, hopefully you have been able to dive in and use the vast amount of information here on your own journey to prevent AD. If you have not found them already here are a few pages that will help you make the most of the time you spend on the site: the Wiki Page, where you will find some more in depth topics; "How-To" get the most out of the APoE4.info website page, is very easy to use and will allow you to spend your time on the site more efficiently. I also highly recommend the Primer it's a great place to start and to learn more about AD, it was written by Stavia, one of our most active members who is also a doctor, and is E4/E4 herself.

We would love to hear more about your story, please feel free to share more on the Our Stories forum anytime.

If you have any questions please reach out to me or anyone else here, as we are all on this journey together to prevent, reverse, and stop AD, dementia and cognitive decline in its tracks!

Find your joy and hope in each new day and in each new discovery along your path,
Deb