Polygenic Scores

The 3x4 methodology differs from many genetic testing companies by using a polygenic approach. Polygenic risk scores differ from traditional genomic testing because they could potentially be generated broadly across individuals and complex conditions. The 3x4 report contains 36 pathways representing polygenic scores for defined biochemical or physiological areas. Lifestyle and diet SNPs are described as low-penetrance variants that are informative but insufficient on their own for reliable recommendations. The article rejects single-SNP analysis as clinically insufficient for lifestyle and diet recommendations. The clinical validity of some polygenic risk score applications is supported, but real-world clinical utility evidence is still developing. Polygenic risk scores estimate inherited predisposition to common health conditions from the combined effects of many genetic variants. 3x4 groups related SNPs into polygenic scores across clusters of genes for biochemical and metabolic processes. Polygenic risk scores can be combined with non-genetic risk factors and monogenic findings to produce more personalised risk estimates.