VA and Allelica partner on clinical study to assess the impact of polygenic risk score and pharmacogenomics testing in cardiovascular disease prevention

SAN FRANCISCO, March 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has partnered with the leaders in precision medicine at Allelica to perform a clinical genomics study aimed at reducing cardiovascular risk in veterans.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality among U.S. veterans, with over 40% affected by hypertension and heart disease, driven by service-related risk factors such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), exposure to environmental hazards, and high rates of obesity and smoking.

In an effort to reduce this burden, physician-scientist, Dr. Deepak Voora, professor at Duke University and cardiologist at the Durham VA Medical Center, is leading a clinical trial to improve therapeutic interventions for heart disease prevention. Central to the study is clinical genomic testing which will be provided by Allelica.

This randomized clinical trial will enroll veterans at risk for cardiovascular events who are not currently taking cholesterol-lowering medications. Participants will receive either standard care or a genomic risk assessment, utilizing polygenic risk scores (PRS) for coronary artery disease (CAD) and SLCO1B1 pharmacogenetics (PGx) testing to assess statin tolerance.

The genomic risk assessment central to the study will be provided by Allelica. Allelica will provide eligible veterans with clinical, multi-ancestry PRS and SLCO1B1 PGx testing.

Investigators will leverage test results to determine whether personalized lipid-lowering therapy can improve adherence, statin effectiveness, reduce adverse effects, and ultimately lower the risk of cardiovascular events among veterans.

"This project highlights the absolutely critical role of genomic testing in guiding interventions for the reduction of cardiovascular disease risk," said Allelica CEO, Giordano Botta. "We are proud to partner with the VA to identify those who are at high risk of heart attack but are currently undetected by the standard of care. Using PRS and PGx combined we are moving toward a proactive and preventive approach to cardiovascular disease, to act early when we're still in time."

The findings from this project have the potential to inform how lipid-lowering drugs are prescribed, reducing unnecessary side effects and improving long-term health outcomes. This approach could be scaled across the VA healthcare system and beyond, benefiting millions of individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease.

About Allelica
Allelica is a precision medicine company specializing in multi-ancestry polygenic risk scores (PRS) to predict genetic risk for common diseases in diverse populations. By integrating advanced bioinformatics with multi-ancestry PRS, Allelica empowers physicians and healthcare systems to reduce the burden of common disease. Its technology is supported by major publications, five patents, and strong endorsements from leading healthcare systems and key opinion leaders. To learn more, visit allelica.com.

SOURCE Allelica, Inc.