Genetic Test to Predict Risk of Progression of Idiopathic Scoliosis in Girls 9-13 Years of Age Offered at Fletcher Allen

F O R  R E L E A S E:  Immediate (March 6, 2009)

C O N T A C T:   
Mike Noble
Marketing and Communications
802-847-2886
     
BURLINGTON, VT – Effective mid-December, the Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Department at Fletcher Allen Health Care became one of 23 centers nationwide field-testing a genetic test that has been developed to predict the degree to which idiopathic scoliosis will progress in girls aged 9-13 years who have been diagnosed with the disease. This painless spit test allows early intervention for those at risk of spinal curve progression and eliminates the need for repeated x-rays for girls identified as unlikely to develop a severe spinal curve.

John T. Braun, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at Fletcher Allen’s Orthopedic Specialty Center and associate professor at the UVM College of Medicine, is the principal developer of the genetic test and oversees the field test at Fletcher Allen. He is also a co-founder of the company, Axial Biotech, which currently offers the test free of charge.

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis is the most common spinal deformity in children, affecting 13-26 million adolescents worldwide. Girls are five times more likely than boys to develop this condition.  Statistics show that 10 of 100 children diagnosed with scoliosis will progress to wearing a brace and that 1 in 100 of those children will progress to needing major corrective surgery.
      
The genetic test determines which girls aged 9-13, who have been diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis, are likely to progress to a severe spinal curve which would eventually require surgery.  The test has been fully developed and the testing laboratory at Axial Biotech has been approved by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments Program, overseen by the Division of Laboratory Services within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The genetic test requires the patient to submit a saliva sample, which is analyzed and the results returned to the physician who submitted the sample. The patient makes two office visits, one to provide the sample and another visit to review the results with the physician.

The field test, expected to last 6 months, will help the developers of the genetic test to assess the systems and processes that have been developed for collecting, delivering and processing saliva samples, and then reporting results to providers to share with patients and families. The genetic test will be administered at no cost during this field test time period.

About Fletcher Allen
Fletcher Allen Health Care, together with our partners at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, is Vermont’s academic medical center.  Our mission is to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve by integrating patient care, education and research in a caring environment.  Fletcher Allen serves as a regional referral center -- providing advanced care to approximately one million people in Vermont and northern New York -- and as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties.  With more than 30 patient care sites and 100 outreach clinics, programs and services throughout the region, Fletcher Allen is committed to being a national model for the delivery of high-quality academic health care for a rural region