GeneTrait® Laboratories

GeneTrait® Laboratories, a division of PTC Laboratories, Inc., is a conscientious, privately held business in Columbia, MO with additional locations in Sioux Falls, SD and Jackson, MS. GeneTrait Labs' parent company, PTC Labs, has more than 20 years of genetic testing experience and has been an industry leader in service and reliability, providing forensic and human identity genetic services to international and domestic government agencies, organizations and physicians. PTC Labs brings this expertise to the world of preventative medicine with GeneTrait pharmacogenetic testing.

Experience

PTC Laboratories, Inc., GeneTrait Laboratories' parent company, was formed in 1996 with the sole purpose of human DNA testing. With more than 20 years of genetic testing experience, we are a clinical molecular diagnostic testing using state of the art technology. PTC Labs tests more than 40,000 individuals per year, from samples collected throughout the U.S. and in a number of other countries around the world. The laboratory provides DNA testing through physicians, contracts with pathology laboratories, and government agencies. All operations are housed in a 33,000 sq.ft. facility owned by the laboratory, specifically designed for high throughput DNA testing.

Leadership

GeneTrait Labs' dedicated, talented scientific staff and board members consist of leaders in the genetic testing community and are committed to excellence. GeneTrait's Medical Director, Dr. Judith Miles M.D., Ph.D. was the Genetics Consultant to the State of Missouri for more than 25 years and is the former Director of the Division of Medical Genetics for the University of Missouri, School of Medicine. GeneTrait's laboratory director, supervisors and managers each have more than 20 years experience in high throughput, high quality DNA testing in a demanding environment.

Judith Miles, M.D., Ph.D. | Medical Director

  • Served for 25 years as:
    • MU Chair of the Medical Genetics Department
    • Genetic consultant to the State of Missouri

Charlotte Phillips, Ph.D. | Laboratory Director

  • Served for 25 years as:
    • Board Certified in Medical Genetics
    • 25 years as a biochemistry and genetics researcher who has successfully developed testing for rare and population specific genetic diseases

Kim Gorman | President

  • Worked on the Human Genome Project in 1990-1994 with David Schlessinger at Washington University
  • First forensic scientist implementing DNA STR testing at the St. Louis City Police Department
  • A founder of PTC Laboratories, Inc. and GeneTrait Laboratories

Michelle Beckwith | Clinical Laboratory Supervisor

  • Student on the Human Genome Project at Washington University
  • DNA Identification Leader for Hurricane Katrina victims
  • A founder of PTC Laboratories, Inc. and GeneTrait Laboratories

Pharmacogenetic Testing

A simple cheek swab can help your physician understand which medications may work best for you based on your genetics. This can help eliminate the expensive, time consuming, and painful trial-and-error process to prescribing medication for life.

Medication Metabolism

Medications and their recommended dosages are designed to treat the "average" person. However, different people can have different responses to the same dose and medication. Pharmacogenetic testing can assist in determining if a particular medication will be effective for you or potentially cause harmful side effects

Abnormal Reactions

How common are abnormal reactions? More common than you may think. For example, about 28% of the population does not respond to Plavix as expected. Medications related to mental health, pain management, cardiology, and others are all evaluated with GeneTrait genetic testing.

Risk Factors

In addition to genetic testing for medication metabolism, GeneTrait Labs also provides testing for genetic variations that may cause elevated risk of thrombosis, cardiovascular disease, and hyperhomocysteinemia.

Accuracy

GeneTrait Laboratories' forensic approach to pharmacogenetic testing sets them apart from other laboratories by providing a SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism, or one single genetic location) accuracy level of 99.9999% versus the industry standard 99.7%. Over 60 genetic locations are used to develop a genetic profile for one person. Therefore, this is a difference in reporting an error in 1 out of every 6 patients compared to GeneTrait reporting an error in less than 1 out of 1,000,000 patients.

Accreditations

PTC Laboratories, Inc. is a CLIA compliant laboratory and holds accreditations from multiple organizations. PTC Labs was first accredited in 1997 by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) and also by the New York State Department of Health for relationship testing. PTC Labs is ASCLD and ISO/IEC 17025 accredited for domestic and international forensic and relationship testing. GeneTrait Laboratories is licensed to perform pharmacogenetic testing in all 50 states. For a complete list of GeneTrait Laboratories licenses and accreditations, click on the Licenses and Accreditations tab to the left.

More Information

Visit the PTC Laboratories website to learn more about GeneTrait Laboratories' background, scientific staff, and facilities.