LCMC Health has announced plans for a no-cost genetic-screening program that aims to test up to 100,000 Louisiana adults for inherited risks of cancer and heart disease, with the health system putting $10 million toward the effort. The program, called Uniquely You, is expected to launch in early 2027 and will be open to volunteers age 18 and older, including people who are not current LCMC patients.
How the Screening Will Work
As reported by NOLA.com, LCMC Health is working with Helix, a California-based population genomics company, which will perform the actual genetic screening. Participants can provide samples either at LCMC locations or through at-home cheek-swab kits, and Helix will store the resulting screening data in its larger database. The health system plans to begin screening 20,000 adults in the program's first year, with a goal of reaching 100,000 participants over five years.
Uniquely You will test for genetic susceptibility to several conditions: Lynch syndrome, predispositions to breast and ovarian cancer, and high cholesterol linked to heart disease or stroke. Dr. Frank Smart said the study seeks to identify genes associated with high risk of cancer and heart disease, and he added that genetic profiles could eventually help doctors predict which medications work best for an individual patient. That potential ties into pharmacogenomics, a field that studies how genetic profiles affect a person's response to medication, which the program will also support.
What Happens After a Positive Result
Screening results will be stored in patients' medical records, and LCMC says it will help connect anyone who tests positive for a genetic mutation with a genetic counselor at no charge. Participants will be asked for permission to let their de-identified data be used in the study and in Helix's broader database, and they may withdraw their data at any time in the future, according to NOLA.com's reporting.
Comparable programs elsewhere have shown how often such screenings catch something doctors didn't already know. At HealthPartners in Minnesota, which also partners with Helix on its myGenetics program, the organization estimates that roughly one in 75 participants will learn they have an actionable genetic risk factor for a screened inherited cancer or heart condition, according to healthpartners.com. The same source notes that 90% of patients who test positive for one of these conditions hadn't been previously identified under current medical practice. Nevada's Healthy Nevada Project found nearly identical numbers — one in 75 participants carrying a relevant variant, with 90% of carriers unaware before joining, per a report from Helix.
One Minnesota Participant's Experience
Deenya Craig participated in HealthPartners' free genetic screening program in Minnesota and learned she had an elevated risk of breast and ovarian cancer. She chose a double mastectomy after taking what NOLA.com described as a proactive approach to screening and prevention. Craig said future family members can now take preventative measures against cancer armed with that same genetic information.
Helix has worked on a genetic testing program in Nevada and has partnered with HealthPartners Institute and Mayo Clinic, among 17 U.S. health systems on similar programs, per NOLA.com's reporting. Joseph Grzymski, founder of the Healthy Nevada Project and vice president and chief of genomics at Renown Health — the largest health system in northern Nevada — launched what NOLA.com described as a first-of-its-kind Helix program in 2018. Renown's program is ongoing, and separate data from Helix shows the Healthy Nevada Project recruited, sequenced and returned results to more than 20,000 participants within six months, with Renown later raising its participation goal from 40,000 to 250,000 people. Among those who received a positive CDC Tier 1 result, 71% reported sharing the finding with their health care providers and more than 90% shared it with family members, according to Helix.
Why Louisiana, and Why Now
Louisiana typically ranks among the lowest in the nation for health outcomes, a backdrop NOLA.com cited in explaining the stakes behind LCMC's push. James Lu, Helix co-founder and CEO, said screening can help people recognize genetic risks sooner and get appropriate care, while Grzymski said genetic scorecards should reach doctors and patients before disease develops. Greg Feirn said the program will provide precision care and information to help improve health outcomes.
LCMC researchers plan to use the screening data to conduct research and advance treatment discoveries, with Louisiana State University and Tulane University serving as academic partners. All screening data will be de-identified before use in research. LCMC is also pursuing National Cancer Institute designation alongside LSU Health New Orleans; Lucio Miele said the program's research and outreach will contribute to that designation application, which NOLA.com reported could bring additional research funding, patients and jobs to Louisiana if secured.
Not the First Louisiana Program
LCMC isn't the only Louisiana health system in this space. Ochsner Health already runs its own genetic screening program, having announced a partnership in 2019 to screen patients at higher hereditary cancer and heart-disease risk, and it stores those results in patients' electronic health records, per NOLA.com. LCMC's Biobank, which supports cancer research across Louisiana and the Gulf South, launched independent operations in 2024 and listed 15 active internal, industry and national research projects as of this month, according to lcmchealth.org. That Biobank describes participation as voluntary with no effect on clinical care, and says specimens and data are pseudonymized, with investigators receiving only approved de-identified information unless a specific IRB-approved protocol permits otherwise.
NOLA.com reported that the Helix partnership cuts the cost per screen to around $100, helping explain how LCMC's $10 million investment could stretch toward tens of thousands of participants. LCMC says it aims to eventually tailor treatment to patients' individual genetic makeup through precision medicine, using Uniquely You as a foundation for that broader goal.
