Saint Lucia has taken a major step forward in modern healthcare with the launch of an in-house genomic sequencing service that is already helping doctors identify more effective treatments for cancer patients and advance the delivery of personalized medicine.
The new service was officially unveiled on Wednesday, June 3, at the Tapion Hospital Conference Room through a partnership between Laboratory Services and Consultations Ltd. and Carigenetics Saint Lucia. Health professionals say the initiative marks a significant shift towards data-driven healthcare and has the potential to improve outcomes for patients across Saint Lucia and the wider OECS.
Founder of Carigenetics, Dr Carika Weldon, said her commitment to closing genetic research gaps affecting Caribbean populations was shaped by a deeply personal experience involving her grandmother.
“Ten years ago, I graduated with my PhD in biochemistry. And it was the biggest moment of my life, I thought at that time,” Dr Weldon recalled.
She said her family celebrated the achievement with her in the United Kingdom and she initially intended to focus on scientific research and publishing academic papers.
“Just over a year later, my grandmother, who was my best friend, she was the glue to our family, she was diagnosed with cancer.”
Dr Weldon explained that despite specializing in cancer research, she found herself unable to provide the answers her family desperately wanted.
“My PhD was in cancer research. And we were all in the hospital room. And one of my cousins looked at me and said, ‘Shouldn’t you know what to do?’ Fair question, right?”
She said the moment profoundly changed her perspective on the role of science.
“I looked at her, looking at me. And it really hit me here. Because after all of this studying, and I was the first in my family to go to university, and of course, the first to get a PhD. In that moment, I felt helpless.”
According to Dr Weldon, that experience inspired her to focus on ensuring scientific advances directly benefit patients.
“And that is what woke me up to say, it’s great that I’ve got this education. But I want to be able to make an impact in people’s lives.”
Pathologist Dr Stephen King described the new genomic sequencing service as a breakthrough that enables doctors to look beyond traditional cancer diagnoses and identify the molecular characteristics of individual tumors.
“I’m a pathologist. I look at slides and I see the morphology, breast cancer, colon cancer, et cetera. However, what the techniques nowadays allow us to do is identify the molecular characteristics of cancer, which is crucial for treatment,” he explained.
Dr King announced that the genomic sequencing service is now fully operational at Laboratory Services and Consultations Ltd. within Tapion Hospital.
“We are today launching this partnership with Carigenetics Saint Lucia, and we are also launching the genomic sequencing service in-house at Laboratory Services and Consultations Limited in this facility at Tapion Hospital.”
He revealed that even before the official launch, the technology had already demonstrated its value.
“Through this partnership on genomic services, we have in the last four weeks… So while we have been waiting to launch, we have not been idle.”
According to Dr King, seven patients with aggressive cancers were tested using the new technology.
“We have actually tested seven patients with aggressive cancers, and we have identified molecular targets that have advised on novel and effective treatment for six of these patients.”
He said the results have already changed treatment strategies and provided doctors with critical information to target specific cancer mutations.
“Six out of those seven patients, now the doctors have information where they can target the molecular defect, shall I say, or the molecular target in the cancer so we can give specific treatment. And that is how you save lives.”
Dr King stressed that advances in genomics are transforming cancer treatment and offering renewed hope to patients.
“Cancer is no longer a death sentence. Cancer is a disease that we can treat, a chronic disease that we can treat. There is hope.”
The launch also highlighted the growing importance of pharmacogenomics, which examines how a person’s genetic makeup affects their response to medications.
Abraham Weekes, representing the Pharmacogenomics and Clinical Genetic Testing Unit, explained that genetic testing can help identify whether commonly prescribed medications are the most effective option for individual patients.
“Today, using the pharmacogenetic test, Meds4U, which will be available through lab services and Carigenetics, which I have done myself, preliminary data has collected for these 11 medicines which I reviewed from our list.”
Weekes pointed to findings involving the cardiovascular drug clopidogrel, a medication widely used throughout the region.
“We found that 26.3% of persons tested, and they should be on an alternative medicine. That’s in Bermuda.”
The figures for Saint Lucia were even more significant.
“In Saint Lucia, 40% of those patients were tested, and they should be on an alternative medicine, 40%.”
He added that preliminary results from Trinidad and Tobago showed an even higher percentage.
“And Trinidad, 58.9%.”
Weekes said such findings underscore the importance of genetic testing in improving healthcare outcomes, particularly for cardiovascular disease, which remains the leading cause of death in the Caribbean.
“That’s a medicine we use commonly. What is the number one leading cause of death in the region? Cardiovascular conditions. And we use the medicine regularly, so we have preliminary data to show.”
Healthcare leaders believe the introduction of genomic sequencing and pharmacogenetic testing in Saint Lucia represents the beginning of a new era in personalized medicine, one that could improve treatment outcomes, reduce adverse drug reactions and provide patients with more precise, effective care.