Kif6 (Kinesin Family Member 6)

This test identifies individuals with the Kif6 gene variant, which is correlated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, statin therapy greatly diminishes this CV risk in the patients with this gene, so statins are important to consider in this patient population.

This genetic test determines whether an individual has the KIF6 variant rs20455. This variant increases CHD risk by about 1.5 fold, but some studies have shown that this risk can be normalized with statin therapy. In both the CARE and WOSCOPS trials, Pravastatin helped lower CV risk in Kif6 carriers, but not in non-carriers. 1 Similarly, in the PROVE IT trial, carriers of the Kif6 risk allele received significant risk reduction from atorvastatin, more so than non-carriers. On the other hand, in the Heart Protection Study and Jupiter trial, Kif6 did not predict statin response (no difference was seen). 3 4