Press Release: New study sheds light on understanding the potential of the Genetic Addiction Risk Severity (GARS) Test To Accurately Predict Preaddiction in the opioid crisis era

A cross-cultural paper published in the prestigious journal Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology revealed a data-driven pharmacogenomic computational analysis involving millions of large data bank annotations, providing scientific evidence for the importance of understanding the potential of the Genetic Addiction Risk Severity (GARS) test to accurately predict preaddiction in the opioid crisis era.

A recent article by  Christal N. Davis et al. “Utility of Candidate Genes from an Algorithm Designed to Predict Genetic Risk for Opioid Use Disorder” published in JAMA Network, January 2, 2025, correctly pointed out that the genetic variants incorporated in the Advert FDA approved algorithm which used 15 variants as predictive factors in a cohort of 33,669 subjects diagnosed with OUD and compared them to a control group comprising opioid-exposed individuals who lacked an OUD diagnosis code and had no recorded history of filling prescriptions for medications typically used to treat OUD, do not meet the necessary standards for reliably identifying opioid use disorder (OUD) risk.

In contrast, the current published paper by Alireza Sharafshah, PhD, takes on an opposing stance. In a very recent large cohort meta-analysis involving approximately 70 Million  GWAS base subjects from the RDS Consortium, argue that genetically identifying risks for Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) behaviors through GARS—rather than the FDA-approved 15-panel test—could be a frontline tool for assessing not only OUD risk, but Pre-addiction and even Mental illness, particularly in compromised populations. The authors believe that, based on this arduous process, utilizing the GARS test as a predictor of “reward deficiency,” including mental illness and dopamine dysregulation, the top-scoring highly predictive risk alleles measured by this test include DRD2, DRD4, COMT, OPRM1, and  SLC6A4.

The development of patented GARS since 2014 by Kenneth Blum, PhD, has been statistically validated and applied clinically as a predictor of genetic liability and severe risk for RDS, and as such, all addictive behaviors, both substance and non-substance related.

Dr. Alireza Sharafshah, from Cellular and Molecular Research Center, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran, stated that “ we are very encouraged that based on our on-going research using pharmacogenomic computational analysis study tested the pharmacogenomics of the GARS panel by a multi-model in silico investigation in four layers: 1) Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs); 2) Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs); 3) Disease, drugs and chemicals (DDCs); and 4) Gene Coexpression Networks (GCNs), provides scientific evidence for the importance of incorporating GARS as a predictive test to identify Preaddiction.”

According to senior author Research Professor, Kenneth Blum, PhD, Western University Health Sciences, and Ariel University representing a team of twenty-six authors from around the world including scientists from America, Brazil, Columbia,   Iran and Israel stated ” Our study should not be ignored especially as the “preaddiction” concept has been endorsed by both NIDA and NIAAA, emphasizing the need to identify genetic DNA antecedents of  “preaddiction” early in life’. 

In this regard, co-author Professor of Spine Surgery University of Arizonia School of Medicine, and member of the National Academy of Medicine (Brazil & Columbia) Kai Uwe Lewandowski, MD  suggested “ Our profound finding showing the predictability of GARS as an accurate predictor of not only addictive behaviors but also mental illness in general, should be a frontline genetic tool employed by health professionals to introduce unique therapeutic targets assisting in the treatment of pain, drug dosing of prescription pharmaceuticals, and identify the risk for subsequent addiction early in -life”. 

According to Co-author,  Dr. Mark S. Gold, an addiction psychiatrist and addiction related pioneer and co-author, remarked “This paper provides scientific evidence for the importance of incorporating the GARS test as one promising tool to help Psychiatrists provide patients with an objective way to help families comprehend their risk for addiction, whether drugs, food or  internet gambling etc. and encourage  the FDA to carefully consider  the importance of the GARS test to inform rather than label an individual.”

In addition, with the continued concerns linked to opioid overdose co-author Professor Panayotis K. Thanos, PhD from Buffalo University had this to say –“ While the jury is still out regarding the best way to predict RDS behaviors, our laboratory utilizing GARS in Bariatric cohort found strong evidence for genetic liability in terms of uncontrollable food consumption.”

In addition, co-author Professor of Psychiatry Harvard University School of Medicine, Igor Elman pointed out in an interview that “ It is profoundly important to discover ways to identify overall genetic risk for all addictive behaviors or RDS, and our research provides the first ever potential test to accomplish this required recognition especially in our children.”

Finally, co-author Professor and Provost Albert Pinhasov of Ariel University (Israel) stated – “ While there may be many reports concerning the potential of utilizing genetic information to help identify an individual’s genetic risk for not  only addiction but mental illness in general, we should not throw out the baby with the bath oil, and especially governmental agencies and clinicians alike should not ignore our profound findings, awaiting more intensive research both in human and animals “

This current study published in Current Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology entitled  “A comprehensive 4-layered in silico pharmacogenomics analysis on the Genetic Addiction Risk Severity (GARS) Test: Predominance of genetic evidence support GARS as a novel personalized Pre-addiction assessment tool in the opioid crisis era” highlighting the potential of the role of GARS as an objective informative test to accurately predict risk for Preaddiction and RDS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT DR. KENNETH BLUM AT  drd2gene@gmail.com