System, method, and apparatus for disease susceptibility testing

• US 20030073241A1
• Filed: 10/09/2002
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Genacy, Kolisch Hartwell PC
• Original Assignee: Genacy
• Inventors: Marshall, Philip, Bowman, Brad
• Application Number:
  US10/268,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20030073241A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 436/43
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 20/00 ICT specially adapted for functional genomics or proteomics, e.g. genotype-phenotype associations
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods for anonymously testing and reporting disease susceptibility are provided. One method described herein includes providing a disease susceptibility kit configured to enable collection and forwarding of a DNA test specimen for disease susceptibility testing, where the kit includes a user results request with a user results identifier. The method further includes receiving the user results request, receiving disease susceptibility test results for the DNA test specimen, where the DNA test specimen is identified by a computer-readable specimen identifier associated with the user results identifier, matching the specimen identifier for the disease susceptibility test results with the associated user results request via the user results identifier, and forwarding the disease susceptibility test results in accordance with the user results request.

Claims

1. A method for anonymously testing and reporting disease susceptibility comprising:

providing a disease susceptibility kit configured to enable collection and forwarding of a DNA test specimen for disease susceptibility testing, wherein the kit includes a user results request with a user results identifier;

receiving the user results request;

receiving disease susceptibility test results for the DNA test specimen, wherein the DNA test specimen is identified by a computer-readable specimen identifier associated with the user results identifier;

matching the specimen identifier for the disease susceptibility test results with the associated user results request via the user results identifier; and

forwarding the disease susceptibility test results in accordance with the user results request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to receiving the disease susceptibility test results for the DNA test specimen, receiving the DNA test specimen from the user and routing the DNA test specimen to a selected testing facility.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user results request is contained within a user-application program and the user results identifier is a user program identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein forwarding disease susceptibility test results in accordance with the user results request includes automatically forwarding the disease susceptibility test results to the user-application program via a network.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the user-application program is a web-based application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user results request is a mail-in card including a user address, and where forwarding disease susceptibility test results in accordance with the user results request includes sending test results to the user address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the disease susceptibility testing kit includes a DNA collection device marked with the specimen identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the disease susceptibility testing kit includes a DNA storage device marked with the specimen identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the disease susceptibility testing kit includes a DNA transport device marked with the specimen identifier.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the disease susceptibility testing kit includes a provider results request with a provider results request identifier that corresponds with the specimen identifier.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising matching the specimen identifier for the disease susceptibility test results with the provider results request identifier;

and forwarding the disease susceptibility test results in accordance with the provider results request.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the provider results request is contained within a provider application program, and where forwarding disease susceptibility test results in accordance with the provider results request includes automatically forwarding the disease susceptibility test results to the provider application program.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the provider results request is a mail-in card including a provider address, and where forwarding disease susceptibility test results in accordance with the provider results request includes sending disease susceptibility test results to the provider address.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending targeted messages to a user based on the disease susceptibility test results in accordance with the user results request.

15. A method for anonymously testing and reporting disease susceptibility, comprising:

providing a disease susceptibility kit configured to enable collection and forwarding of a DNA test specimen marked with a specimen identifier;

wherein the kit includes a user-application program with a program identifier, where the program identifier corresponds with the specimen identifier;

receiving the DNA specimen;

routing the DNA specimen to a selected testing facility;

receiving disease susceptibility test results for the DNA specimen from the testing facility;

identifying the user-application program associated with the test results by matching the specimen identifier with the program identifier; and

forwarding test results for the DNA specimen to the identified user-application program.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising prior to forwarding the test results for the DNA specimen to the identified user-application program, receiving a query from the user-application program requesting test results.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the specimen identifier is a bar code.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the DNA collection kit further includes a provider results request with a provider results request identifier that corresponds with the specimen identifier, and the method further includes receiving the provider results request, matching the provider identifier with the specimen identifier, and forwarding the disease susceptibility test results in accordance with the provider results request.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the provider results request includes a provider application program, and where forwarding the test results includes sending the test results to the matched provider application program via a network.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing the specimen identifier, the program identifier, and the test results for the DNA specimen in a database.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising providing research access to at least a portion of the database, and subsequently sending a research inquiry to a selected user-application program regarding the DNA specimen.

22. A kit for testing disease susceptibility, comprising:

a DNA collection device adapted to enable a user to collect a DNA sample;

a DNA storage device configured to store the DNA sample, wherein at least one of the DNA collection device and the DNA storage device has a computer readable specimen identifier;

an addressable transport container configured to send the DNA sample for disease susceptibility testing; and

an application program configured to be executed on a networked computer, wherein the application program includes a program identifier matched with the computer readable specimen identifier to facilitate disease susceptibility test results retrieval.

23. The kit of claim 22, wherein the DNA storage device is configured to serve as the addressable transport container.

24. The kit of claim 22, further including instructions that direct the user how to collect a DNA sample using the DNA collection device, how to store the DNA sample in the DNA storage device, how to send the DNA sample for disease susceptibility testing, and how to retrieve disease susceptibility test results using the application program.

25. The kit of claim 22, further including a provider test results request having a provider results request identifier, where the provider results request identifier corresponds to the computer readable specimen identifier such that disease susceptibility test results associated with the specimen identifier may be matched with the provider results request identifier and forwarded to a provider in accordance with the provider results request.

26. A program storage device readable by a machine, the storage device tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for anonymously testing disease susceptibility, the method comprising;

receiving a genetic test result including information regarding disease susceptibility from a testing facility, where the genetic test result is identified by a computer-readable specimen code;

storing the genetic test result in a database;

receiving a computer-coded request to receive the genetic test result, where the computer-coded request is associated with the specimen code;

matching the computer-coded request with the specimen code; and

providing the genetic test result electronically upon matching the computer-coded request with the specimen code.

27. A system for anonymously testing disease susceptibility, the system comprising:

a disease susceptibility kit adapted to enable a user to collect a DNA specimen having a predetermined specimen identifier, wherein the kit includes a user results request with a user results request identifier, and a provider results request with a provider results request identifier; and

a test manager configured to link the specimen identifier with the user results request identifier and the provider results request identifier, the test manager further configured to send disease susceptibility test results to both the user, in accordance with the user results request, and the provider, in accordance with the provider results request.