Published 9 Apr 2024
The wellness offering utilizes advanced genetics to provide personalized risk information for common and preventable diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, breast and prostate cancer
OXFORD, England and SPRINGFIELD, Mass., April 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Genomics plc (Genomics), a healthcare company transforming health through the power of genomics, and MassMutual, a leading mutual life insurance company in the United States, today announced the next phase of their innovative partnership enabling more eligible MassMutual policyowners to gain knowledge about their health in order to make informed, proactive decisions that may help them lead longer, healthier lives. The program offers a genetic risk assessment service to these individuals, providing insight into their personalized risk for eight major diseases. The expansion follows a successful research collaboration in which more than 70% of policyowners who elected to use the risk assessment service reported intent to take preventative actions based on their risk scores, including plans to see their doctor or seek further screening.
Genomics' at-home test studies millions of small variations in DNA, generating polygenic risk scores, that can inform the likelihood of certain conditions. The predictive power of this new type of genetic risk testing has the ability to improve individuals' health outcomes by increasing patient engagement and activation and helping doctors make more informed decisions and recommendations for their patients. During the initial Genomics and MassMutual research collaboration, 1 in 5 policyowners learned that they are at a higher risk for preventable diseases.
The expanded program offers eligible MassMutual policyowners aged 35-70 access to polygenic risk testing via a saliva test that identifies hidden risk for eight common conditions: atrial fibrillation, breast or prostate cancer (depending on biological sex), cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low bone density and type 2 diabetes. In addition to learning about their risk for each of the conditions, policyowners also receive actionable, tailored health advice and a report they can review with their doctor to reduce the chances of developing the condition.
A critical component of this collaboration is a shared commitment to data privacy. Policyowners participate on a voluntary basis. Their results are never shared with MassMutual and do not impact current premiums or policies. MassMutual only receives high-level, anonymized data from Genomics that allows the company to better understand aggregate policyowners' health and behaviors and interest in these types of offerings.
"While the study of genomics is not new, it now provides an enormous opportunity to help individuals live their longest, healthiest lives. By giving individuals and their doctors much more precise information about the particular health risks they face, they can take the right actions, at the right time, to help prevent disease entirely, or to catch it early when outcomes are much better," said Sir Peter Donnelly, co-founder and chief executive officer, Genomics. "As a leader in insurance, MassMutual is one of the first to understand the untapped value genomics brings in making proactive and preventative health choices. We're thrilled to work alongside a partner aligned with our mission of transforming health and making this technology more widely available."
"We're excited to have a partner like Genomics that is equally committed to the mission of empowering individuals to live their fullest lives by understanding and acting on risk factors," said Sears Merritt, head of enterprise technology and experience, MassMutual. "This offering allows us to further support policyowners on their path to a healthy life by learning about their risks and making informed health choices. Based on the success of our initial research collaboration, there is high interest from policyowners to act on the information they receive, and we're honored to lead the insurance industry forward by equipping individuals to play a more proactive role in their health journey."
The collaboration with Genomics is part of MassMutual's broader Health and Wellness Program, which focuses on initiatives that provide policyowners with insights into their potential health risks, empowering them to seek out appropriate interventions and motivate healthy behaviors and lifestyles. For more information on Genomics and MassMutual please visit www.genomicsinc.com and www.massmutual.com.
About Genomics plc
Genomics plc is a pioneering healthcare company that uses large-scale genetic information to develop innovative precision healthcare tools and to bring new understanding to drug discovery. Genomics was founded in 2014 by four world-leading statistical and human geneticists at the University of Oxford. Today, Genomics is collaborating with some of the world's leading healthcare and drug-discovery organizations and helping them to predict, prevent, treat and cure – dramatically reducing the human and financial cost of common diseases like cancer and diabetes For additional information about Genomics, please visit www.genomicsinc.com or on LinkedIn or Twitter.
About MassMutual (Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company)
MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyowners. Founded in 1851, the company has been continually guided by one consistent purpose: we help people secure their future and protect the ones they love. With a focus on delivering long-term value, MassMutual offers a wide range of protection, accumulation, wealth management and retirement products and services. For more information, visit www.massmutual.com.