Summary: Rather than aggregate large numbers of variants into a single composite score, Vibrant Wellness reports individual, clinically curated SNPs through Cardio Genetics and pairs this with direct biochemical risk assessment through Cardio Zoomer. Used together, these two panels give clinicians a more actionable picture of cardiovascular risk than a PRS alone.
Why not a large-scale PRS?
Large PRS models typically scan millions of SNPs using microarray or low-pass sequencing platforms. These methods trade genotyping accuracy for throughput, and because most reference GWAS data are drawn from European-ancestry cohorts, uncurated panels can under- or over-estimate risk in patients from other ancestries. Vibrant's Cardio Genetics panel instead genotypes a defined set of well-characterized, disease-associated SNPs by real-time PCR, a method with established accuracy for the specific targets tested. Each variant is reported individually — with genotype, risk association, and supporting evidence — rather than collapsed into a single number.
What does Vibrant research show about aggregate scores?
In our peer-reviewed study (Krishnamurthy et al., Medicine, 2023), we tested a 28-SNP aggregate PRS against 16 serum cardiac biomarkers in 184 individuals. The PRS reached statistical significance for only two markers — NT-proBNP and ox-LDL — while associations with LDL, HDL, Apo B, Lp(a), hs-CRP, and others did not reach significance. Individual SNPs, however, showed clear, specific associations with elevated or protective marker levels. This suggests that genetic risk is real and clinically relevant, but that compressing it into one composite score can obscure more than it reveals.
How does combining Cardio Genetics with Cardio Zoomer address this?
Cardio Genetics identifies inherited predisposition across the pathways that drive atherosclerosis — lipid transport and metabolism (APOB, APOE, LPA, PCSK9, LDLR), endothelial and vascular function (NOS1/NOS3, PHACTR1, 9p21, CORIN, CYP4F2), and hypertension/RAAS regulation (ACE, AGT, AGTR1) — as well as pharmacogenomic variants affecting statin, clopidogrel, and other drug metabolism. Cardio Zoomer then measures whether that predisposition has translated into current, modifiable physiology: metabolic risk, oxidative/redox stress, endothelial dysfunction, lipid and sterol imbalances, inflammation, and macrophage/plaque activity.
Ordered together, Cardio Genetics and Cardio Zoomer let a clinician see both what a patient is genetically predisposed to and what is actually happening in their vasculature right now — including markers that respond to diet, lifestyle, and pharmacotherapy. A genetic result alone cannot show whether risk has manifested biochemically; a serum panel alone cannot show whether a modifiable lifestyle factor or a fixed genetic driver is at play. Combined, they support more individualized risk stratification, monitoring, and treatment planning than either test — or a single aggregate PRS — could provide alone.
Bottom line: Genetic risk is real, but collapsing it into one number erases the very detail that makes it actionable. Vibrant Wellness prioritizes validated, interpretable, individually reported genetic markers- Cardio Genetics- alongside real-time biochemical risk markers- Cardio Zoomer- over a single composite polygenic score to provide actionable insights for providers and patients.
Both tests are laboratory-developed tests performed by Vibrant Genomics LLC / Vibrant America Clinical Laboratory and have not been cleared or approved by the FDA. Results are intended for interpretation by a healthcare provider.
Reference
Krishnamurthy HK, Balaguru UM, Pereira M, et al. Influence of genetic polymorphisms on serum biomarkers of cardiac health. Medicine (Baltimore). 2023;102(23):e33953. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000033953 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10256409/pdf/medi-102-e33953.pdf