Pittsburgh, Sept. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ariel Precision Medicine, Inc., a privately held integrated genomics and digital health company developing innovative solutions for complex chronic disease, announced today the national launch of ArielDx®, a cloud-based clinical decision support tool designed to simplify the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic disease. ArielDx integrates a patient’s genetics, collected from Ariel’s proprietary next-generation sequencing test, PancreasDx®, and interprets them in the context of each patient’s symptoms, clinical history, family history and environment to deliver insights into personalized care. ArielDx is now available through a licensed clinician’s prescription on the company’s website, www.arielmedicine.com.
Each year, more than 2 million Americans develop pancreatic diseases, including pancreatitis, diabetes, pancreatic insufficiency and pancreatic cancer. In the early stages, many pancreatic diseases may be treated successfully with preventative medicine. However, patients in the early stages of pancreatic disease often present with similar symptoms, making an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan challenging. Thus, patients are typically treated symptomatically and many continue to progress until their condition reaches an advanced stage and the damage is irreversible.
“We designed ArielDx to simplify the clinical application of complex genetics, systems biology, expert insights and evidence-based medicine so clinicians can personalize treatment for each patient, in a scalable way,” said Jessica Gibson chief executive officer and co-founder of Ariel Precision Medicine. “For the first time, with PancreasDx and the ArielDx tools, we are uncovering the biological drivers of disease within the context of a patient’s unique health journey and it is so rewarding to see our solutions already having an impact on patient’s lives.”
Professor David C. Whitcomb MD, PhD, an expert in complex systems modeling and pancreatic diseases who serves as the chair of Ariel Precision Medicine’s Medical Advisory board, added, “Until now, precision medicine was a futuristic dream for managing complex chronic disorders. But Ariel ‘cracked the code’ for evaluating complex pancreatic diseases using a precision medicine approach by integrating high-fidelity genetics into sophisticated disease models that are informed by health information, biomarkers and deep knowledge of biology and medicine. The results have been amazing. Precision medicine has arrived.”
PancreasDx goes beyond genetics to deliver clinically meaningful information, identify the underlying mechanisms of disease and deliver deeper insights based on genetic interpretation, patient specific clinical context and clinical implications. With PancreasDx, clinicians are able to identify and deliver the right treatment for the right patient at the right time.
“With each patient we’re delivering insights not previously available,” concluded Dr. Mark Haupt, Ariel’s chief medical officer. “With each patient we’re demonstrating the complexity of pancreatitis and the importance of understanding the underlying mechanism of disease through precision medicine. Our comprehensive approach is based on a foundation of high-quality genetic sequencing with the aim of providing patients and providers impactful answers to challenging questions.”
About PancreasDx®
PancreasDx® is a comprehensive next-generation sequencing (NGS) genetic test that evaluates over 13 genes associated with acute pancreatitis/recurrent acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis and CFTR-related and rare Mendelian disorders linked to pancreatitis.
PancreasDx may be appropriate for anyone who has had unexplained attacks of acute pancreatitis, especially if they are under the age of 35, exhibit symptoms of pancreatic disease, such as abdominal pain after eating, chronic diarrhea, abnormal findings on a CT or MRI, or have an abnormal laboratory test linked to the pancreas.
PancreasDx is the first solution to simultaneously evaluate multiple disease-causing and disease-modifying genetic variants in the context of each patient’s clinical journey, to identify the underlying mechanisms of disease and deliver deeper insights and clinical implications.
About ArielDx
ArielDx is a cloud-based platform designed for clinicians to simplify diagnosis and inform treatment selection at the earliest signs of pancreatic diseases. Ariel believes its comprehensive approach allows users to prevent or mitigate the most severe outcomes of complex chronic conditions by enabling an understanding of disease drivers and long-term prognoses.
About Ariel Precision Medicine
Ariel Precision Medicine is a private, Pittsburgh-based integrated genomics and digital health company creating solutions to enable early, personalized care of complex chronic diseases for patients anywhere. The company’s initial product, ArielDx®, and its NGS genetic testing platform, PancreasDx®, were developed with funds from a $2.5 million seed round. Learn more by visiting www.arielmedicine.com
Disclaimer
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” concerning the development and commercialization of Ariel’s products, the potential benefits and attributes of such product or platform technology, and Ariel’s expectations regarding its prospects. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual future events or results to differ materially from such statements. These statements are made as of the date of this press release. Actual results may vary. Ariel undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason.