Meshkin explains how the test works: A patient is asked six questions that were found to be highly predictive of future opioid addiction, such as if there is any personal history of substance use or a diagnosis of depression. A DNA sample is collected from a cheek swab. The DNA is then sent to Proove where 12 different gene variants are analyzed. All 12 genes are part of the brain’s mesolimbic system, the pathway of the brain associated with addiction. It’s often referred to as the reward circuit because it is activated when behaviors, like drug taking, are reinforcing.

“All of this information is combined in our software. The algorithm then provides a report to the doctor classifying a patient as low risk, moderate risk or high risk,” says Meshkin.

Meshkin’s claim of 93 percent accuracy finding was presented at the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians meeting last year, but has yet to appear in a peer-reviewed journal. Genetic tests such as Proove’s fall into a lax category set by the Food and Drug Administration —called “laboratory developed tests”—that allows companies to make marketing claims without providing data to back them up.