The build-up of certain genes in DNA can influence the effect of drugs. For instance, DNA can make certain drugs work faster or slower. A pharmacogenetic profile is now being made of UMCG patients in the haematology department. This will be included in a special app: Gene and Medicine. The app explains how their DNA profile affects their expected drug sensitivity.
Many cancer treatments, such as stem cell transplants and CAR-T cell therapy, use drugs to which patients react very differently. This is because their DNA is just different. Especially in these patients, an incorrect starting dose can have consequences. Internist-hematologist Carolien Woolthuis therefore expects a lot from this development: ‘The profile provides insight into which dosage best suits the patient and can therefore make a difference. It is therefore important that healthcare providers have access to the patient's pharmacogenetic profile.' Haematologists can now request the genetics department to create this profile for their patients, so that the information is clear from the start of treatment. This month, the first profiles will become available to practitioners. Woolthuis: ‘We are now having over 125 haematology patients created such a profile.’
Geneticists Jackie Dekens and Lude Franke of the UMCG are simultaneously investigating to what extent patients with other conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, but also healthy people, would benefit from a pharmacogenetic profile. Thus, a pharmacogenetic profile has now been compiled from 1,000 Lifelines participants. The researchers will find out how participants feel about receiving information on their hereditary drug sensitivity. Jackie Dekens: ‘In addition, we would like to know whether the information is clear and complete, so that in the future this can be tailored even better to needs. We are also looking at how willing participants are to share the profile with their healthcare providers. These can use the information in the passport to fine-tune the dosage of medication, thus preventing side effects due to overdosing.'
The geneticists want to start a second study into the added value of the profile. Lude Franke: ‘The big question here is whether it makes sense to make a pharmacogenetic profile of every citizen and patient. Do the costs outweigh the benefits?' According to Franke, the large amount of data from Lifelines participants and UMCG patients allows researchers to identify the short- and long-term effects on the health of research participants and on healthcare.
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