The Jackson Laboratory celebrates heart education and research with the completion of a new course that empowers cardiology clinicians

Through interactive, case-based lessons, the series empowers cardiology clinicians to move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach, enabling them to adopt more targeted management strategies for their patients.

(Bar Harbor, Maine and Farmington Conn. - Sept. 27, 2024) - In celebration of World Heart Day on Sept. 29,The Jackson Laboratory's Clinical Education teamproudly announces the completion of a novel cardiogenomics education program to help clinicians create a personalized management plan based on a patient's genetic test results and clinical presentation.

The course was developed in partnership with Northwestern University, whose clinical cardiology and genetic counseling expertise helped inform educational content on the integration of family history and genetic testing into the diagnostic evaluation of patients with cardiovascular disease.

The three-module education program, Implementing Cardiogenomics in Clinical Practice, provides advanced, actionable tools to identify patients at greater risk for genetic cardiac disease and helps clinicians gain confidence in ordering genetic testing and bringing this information to their patients. The education program was built with providers' often-demanding schedules in mind and is offered free of cost for participants. Each module can be completed online in as little as 15 minutes, allowing participants to progress at their own pace. Successful completion of the course awards Continuing Medical Education and Continuing Nursing Education credits.

The first course in the programlaunched in February 2023 and the third and final course, Interpreting Negative and Uncertain Results from Cardiac Genetic Testing, was released in June 2024, completing one of many translational-education programs in JAX's comprehensive roster.

To date, 650 individuals have enrolled in one or more courses in the series, representing clinicians across the world. "We are excited to see the substantial interest and positive feedback from cardiology providers engaging with the program," said Emily Edelman, M.S., CGC, director of JAX Clinical Education. "This highlights the essential role of genetic and genomics in cardiology and affirms the value of the type of practice, skill-building training provided by JAX, Northwestern, and our partners."

With over 1 in 200 individuals affected by inherited cardiovascular diseases, genetic testing in cardiac care is a critically important tool. Currently, over 90 percent of individuals in the U.S. with a severe, inherited form of high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia) are undiagnosed. When untreated, these individuals have high risks of coronary artery disease, heart attack, and sudden death. Appropriate risk assessment and diagnosis - through tools taught in the cardiogenomics series - can save lives through medication management, lifestyle modifications, and other treatments.

Education and Research Together Help Improve Patient Outcomes

The course is underscored by JAX's expertise in cardiogenomics research, a field that gives families a deep understanding of inherited heart conditions so they can make the right decisions for their care. The pioneering research of JAX's Nadia Rosenthal, Ph.D., F.MedSci, and Travis Hinson, M.D. exemplifies this approach, from Rosenthal's work on cardiac developmental genetics and regeneration to Hinson's work on inherited cardiovascular diseases with patients.

"Taking a course like this one and integrating a genomics education component into clinical cardiology practice can deliver invaluable insights to providers," said Hinson, an associate professor at JAX and practicing cardiologist. "Having the ability to test for and determine the genetic basis for a cardiovascular condition improves both diagnostic accuracy and treatment selection to ultimately improve the health of patients living with these conditions."

A recent paperled by the Hinson lab revealed a new potential CRISPR-based treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy that restores levels of the titin protein, important in the contraction of striated muscle tissues such as those found in the heart.

Knowledge of the full repertoire of cardiac cells and their gene expression is a fundamental step in developing new diagnostic tools and clinical treatments for patients who live with damaged heart tissue due to high blood pressure, blood clots and heart attacks. New and emerging technologies such as single-cell and spatial omics now allow researchers an opportunity to explore the vast array of cardiac cell types that orchestrate the human heartbeat and how they respond to injury - and to do it at scale individually and within their niche environment. In a recent review in Circulation Research, Rosenthal, the scientific director at JAX for Mammalian Genetics and the Maxine Groffsky Endowed Chair, provides an overview of how new technologies are transforming cardiac research and the challenges that remain.

For more information about the Implementing Cardiogenomics in Clinical Practice program and to enroll, please visit the coursewebsite.

About The Jackson Laboratory

The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and more than 3,000 employees in locations across the United States, Japan and China. Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and to empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health. For more information, please visit www.jax.org.

JAX media contact: Cara McDonough, [email protected], 919-696-3854

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