Dear Colleagues,

A major milestone has been reached in the prevention of heart attacks.

The 2026 ACC/AHA Guidelines now recognize polygenic risk score (PRS) as a risk-enhancing factor in cardiovascular risk assessment. This marks an important step forward for preventive cardiology and reflects a broader shift in the field toward earlier detection of risk and intervention long before symptoms or clinical disease appear.

We are also proud that one of Allelica’s studies on CAD polygenic risk scores has been cited in these guidelines, reflecting the relentless commitment of the Allelica team to advancing the science of PRS and translating it into clinical practice.

This progress has also been made possible by physicians who have already integrated PRS into patient care. We are deeply grateful to the many clinicians who have already incorporated the Allelica multi-ancestry CAD polygenic risk score into their clinical practice. Your commitment to prevention and innovation continues to move the field forward.

At Allelica, we are now focused on the next step: expanding access. We are actively working with payers to broaden insurance coverage so that preventive genetic risk assessment can reach more patients across the healthcare system.

At the same time, we recognize that access must be practical today. For this reason, we have implemented a very favorable financial assistance program designed to ensure that cost is not a barrier for patients who may benefit from testing.

In practical terms, as a risk enhancer, PRS should be used in several common clinical scenarios:

• Individuals classified as low risk but with a family history of premature cardiovascular disease.
• Borderline-risk individuals, where additional information guide preventive strategies.
• Higher-risk individuals who remain uncertain about initiating statin therapy, where genetic risk supports clinical decision-making.
• Individuals with very elevated lipoprotein(a) who are otherwise considered low risk.

Millions of individuals carry a genetic predisposition to heart attack that remains undetected by traditional risk assessment alone. Identifying them earlier allows physicians to implement preventive strategies that significantly reduce lifetime cardiovascular risk.

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, yet many heart attacks occur in individuals who were not previously recognized as high risk. The integration of genetic risk into clinical practice offers an important opportunity to change this trajectory.

The recognition of PRS in the ACC/AHA guidelines represents a fundamental step toward a future in which risk can be detected earlier, prevention can be more precise, and many heart attacks can be avoided altogether.

Giordano Botta, PhD
CEO & Co-Founder
Allelica Inc.