MUSC In Our DNA SC Screens 50,000+ Across All South Carolina Counties via JAMA Network Open Implementation Study

Researchers used a hybrid recruitment model combining clinic-based collection, community events, and at-home kits, partnered with local organizations to build trust. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, tracked reach metrics rather than clinical outcomes, documenting that approximately one in 65 participants carried an actionable variant and was offered free genetic counseling. This marks a deliberate shift from reactive testing at tertiary centers to proactive, population-scale identification of hereditary cancer and cardiovascular risk.

Contextual patterns show this aligns with emerging precision public health efforts, such as the All of Us Research Program and Geisinger’s MyCode, which similarly prioritize scalable consent and return of results for Tier 1 conditions. Unlike those efforts, In Our DNA SC explicitly measured geographic and socioeconomic penetration in a predominantly rural state, addressing documented gaps in access that traditional cascade testing has failed to close. Funding transparency and absence of industry conflicts strengthen credibility of the reach data.

Next steps require linkage to longitudinal clinical endpoints, including uptake of risk-reducing interventions and incidence of preventable cancers or cardiac events. Without randomized controls or longer follow-up, current evidence cannot yet quantify mortality benefit or cost-effectiveness at scale. Future studies must incorporate these metrics while monitoring equity in downstream care access.