Pharmacogenetics News and Research

RSS

The terms pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics are often used interchangeably to describe a field of research focused on how genes affect individual responses to medicines. Whether a medicine works well for you—or whether it causes serious side effects—depends, to a certain extent, on your genes.

Just as genes contribute to whether you will be tall or short, black-haired or blond, your genes also determine how you will respond to medicines. Genes are like recipes—they carry instructions for making protein molecules. As medicines travel through your body, they interact with thousands of proteins. Small differences in the composition or quantities of these molecules can affect how medicines do their jobs.

These differences can be due to diet, level of activity, or the medicines a person takes, but they can also be due to differences in genes. By understanding the genetic basis of drug responses, scientists hope to enable doctors to prescribe the drugs and doses best suited for each individual.

UF pharmacy dean to be honored with 2015 SURA Distinguished Scientist Award

SURA today announced that Julie A. Johnson, Dean and Distinguished Professor at the University of Florida's College of Pharmacy, will receive its 2015 SURA Distinguished Scientist Award.

20 Mar 2015

Researchers identify first genetic variation linked to increased risk of peripheral neuropathy

Researchers have identified the first genetic variation that is associated with increased risk and severity of peripheral neuropathy following treatment with a widely used anti-cancer drug. Investigators also found evidence of how it may be possible to protect young leukemia patients without jeopardizing cures.

24 Feb 2015

Study identifies genetic basis of drug toxicity in leukemia patients of East Asian ancestry

January 26, 2015) About 10 percent of young leukemia patients of East Asian ancestry inherit a gene variation that is associated with reduced tolerance of a drug that is indispensable for curing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer.

2 Feb 2015

How quickly smokers metabolise nicotine may point to best quitting method

The success of different smoking cessation treatments could be predicted by how quickly smokers break down (metabolise) nicotine in their bodies, according to new research published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal.

13 Jan 2015

MPI Research announces acquisition of Jasper Clinical Research & Development

MPI Research today announced it has acquired the assets of Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Jasper Clinical Research & Development, Inc. Jasper is a respected clinical research organization that provides early-stage human clinical testing of promising new drugs, and is well known to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide.

27 Oct 2014

New online analytic tool enhances process of re-engineering cells for biomedical research

A Mayo Clinic researcher and his collaborators have developed an online analytic tool that will speed up and enhance the process of re-engineering cells for biomedical investigation. CellNet is a free-use Internet platform that uses network biology methods to aid stem cell engineering.

29 Aug 2014

Study illustrates how patient's genes can affect drug reaction and dosage

A new study out of Western University (London, Canada) illustrates the need for a lot more education around pharmacogenetics (PGx) -the study of how a patient's genes can affect drug reaction and dosage.

29 Apr 2014

Genetic testing could help determine drug dosage, reduce side effects

Usually pharmaceutical companies determine the drug dosage just as a mean value. This amount may be too much for patients who absorb the substance faster, and too little for those with a slower metabolism.

27 Mar 2014

Study could lead towards a personalised medicine for chemoresistant lymphomata

To date, tests have only been carried out on cells, but a piece of research conducted by the Department of Genetics at the UPV/EHU's Faculty of Medicine in collaboration with MD Anderson and the CNIO is opening up the door for the treatment of lymphoma types that have a lower survival rate. The study of the molecular characteristics of the tumours would enable molecules that are altered in a specific way to be identified and turned into new therapeutic targets that would improve the prognosis of patients with chemoresistant lymphomata.

16 Dec 2013

Gene-based method for selecting doses of warfarin no better than standardized dosing methods

A new study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has determined that a gene-based method for selecting patients' doses of the popular heart medication warfarin is no better than standardized dosing methods. The study was presented today at the 2013 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

20 Nov 2013

Researchers study quality, effectiveness and safety of generic drugs used to treat depression

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are studying the quality, effectiveness and safety of generic drugs used to treat depression.

4 Nov 2013

Seven scientists to receive Annual Klerman and Freedman Prizes from Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

Seven young scientists will be recognized by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation at its presentation of the Annual Klerman and Freedman Prizes on Friday July 26, 2013 at Le Parker Meriden Hotel, New York, NY.

12 Jul 2013

ELSIP: Integrating personalized medicine into clinical practice

Lynn G. Dressler Dr. P.H. Director, Personalized Medicine and Pharmacogenomics, Mission Health, Fullerton Genetics Center will present: Addressing the Ethical, Legal, Social and Policy Issues Related to Integrating Personalized Medicine into Routine Clinical Care at the 5th Annual Personalized Medicine Conference in Boston, MA on October 21- 22, 2013.

11 Jul 2013

Study: New genetic marker predicts warfarin dose in African-Americans

A newfound genetic marker promises to better predict warfarin dose in African-Americans, according to a study published online today in The Lancet. If confirmed in further studies, the finding may help to avert more of the bleeds and blood clots that come when a patient's starting dose misses the drug's narrow safety window.

5 Jun 2013

Aviir to extend comprehensive inherited cardiovascular disease genetic test menu

Aviir Inc., a biotechnology company dedicated to the prevention of cardiovascular disease through innovative laboratory tests, announced that it will be extending its offered services with comprehensive inherited cardiovascular disease genetic test menu.

8 May 2013

New born neurons as a therapeutic strategy: an interview with Mi-Hyeon Jang, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota

There are two regions in the brain that continue to produce new neurons well into adulthood. One of these regions is the hippocampus and as we converse this region is actively involved in memory formation, mood regulation and cognition.

2 Apr 2013

New DNA chip could improve diagnosis and therapeutics of ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood neuropsychiatric disorder. Yet there is currently no tool that will confirm the diagnosis of ADHD. In her thesis entitled "Development of a genotyping system to be applied in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and its Pharmacogenetics".

22 Jan 2013

Genetic test to help prescribe proper dose of blood-thinner warfarin

Patients suffering from dangerous blood clots will receive genetic testing to help health professionals at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System prescribe the proper dose of the blood-thinner warfarin.

7 Sep 2012

Millennium introduces novel pharmacogenetic testing

Millennium Laboratories, the leading research-based clinical diagnostic company dedicated to improving the lives of people suffering from pain, announced today the introduction of Millennium Pharmacogenetic Testing.

29 Jun 2012

Health Canada approves AutoGenomics’ INFINITI PGx testing system

AutoGenomics, a leader in providing automated, molecular microarray testing solutions, announced today that they have received their first Health Canada Medical Device Class III approvals for their automated INFINITI Pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing system.

28 Jun 2012