Institutional Profile: Golden Helix Institute of Biomedical Research: interdisciplinary research and educational activities in pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine

Pharmacogenomic assessment of Mexican and Peruvian populations

BACKGROUND

Clinically relevant polymorphisms often demonstrate population-specific allele frequencies. Central and South America remain largely uncategorized in the context of pharmacogenomics.

MATERIALS & METHODS

We assessed 15 polymorphisms from 12 genes (ABCB1 3435C>T, ABCG2 Q141K, CYP1B1*3, CYP2C19*2, CYP3A4*1B, CYP3A5*3C, ERCC1 N118N, ERCC2 K751Q, GSTP1 I105V, TPMT 238G>C, TPMT 460G>A, TPMT 719A>G, TYMS TSER, UGT1A1*28 and UGT1A1 -3156G>A) in 81 Peruvian and 95 Mexican individuals.

RESULTS

Six polymorphism frequencies differed significantly between the two populations: ABCB1 3435C>T, CYP1B1*3, GSTP1 I105V, TPMT 460G>A, UGT1A1*28 and UGT1A1 -3156G>A. The pattern of observed allele frequencies for all polymorphisms could not be accurately estimated from any single previously studied population.

CONCLUSION

This highlights the need to expand the scope of geographic data for use in pharmacogenomics studies.

A road toward better education in personalized medicine at universities and beyond

Personalized medicine is likely to become a future direction of medicine. There is increased knowledge about gene functions in human health and disease and a rapid advance of biotechnologies. Personal genetic testing is available outside the medical room, as direct-to-consumer testing. There is concern about genetic literacy of general public and healthcare professionals which are to handle genetic results and their clinical interpretation. Education and training in personalized medicine and genetic/genomics/pharmacogenomics issues at different levels (high school, university, continuing medical education) is needed. Examples of innovated educational tools and curricula over the world are presented. The educational initiatives in the field of personalized medicine in the Czech Republic are followed from the very beginning.

Fast and frugal trees: translating population-based pharmacogenomics to medication prioritization

Aim: Fast and frugal decision trees (FFTs) can simplify clinical decision making by providing a heuristic approach to contextual guidance. We wanted to use FFTs for pharmacogenomic knowledge translation at point-of-care. Materials & Methods: The Pharmacogenomics for Every Nation Initiative (PGENI), an international nonprofit organization, collects data on regional polymorphisms as a predictor of metabolism for individual drugs and dosages. We advanced FFTs to work with PGENI pharmacogenomic data to produce medication recommendations that are accurate, transparent and straightforward to automate. Results: By streamlining medication selection processes in the PGENI workflow, information technology applications can now be deployed. Conclusion: We developed a decision tree approach that can translate pharmacogenomic data to provide up-to-date recommended care for populations based on their medication-specific markers.

Pharmacogenomics and public health: implementing 'populationalized' medicine

Pharmacogenomics are frequently considered in personalized medicine to maximize therapeutic benefits and minimize adverse drug reactions. However, there is a movement towards applying this technology to populations, which may produce the same benefits, while saving already scarce health resources. We conducted a narrative literature review to examine how pharmacogenomics and public health can constructively intersect, particularly in resource-poor settings. We identified 27 articles addressing the research question. Real and theoretical connections between public health and pharmacogenomics were presented in the areas of disease, drugs and public policy. Suggested points for consideration, such as educational efforts and cultural acceptability, were also provided. Including pharmacogenomics in public health can result in both health-related and economic benefits. Including pharmacogenomics in public health holds promise but deserves extensive consideration. To fully realize the benefits of this technology, support is needed from private, public and governmental sectors in order to ensure the appropriateness within a society.

6th Golden Helix Pharmacogenomics Day: pharmacogenomics and individualized therapy

The Golden Helix Pharmacogenomics Days are international scientific meetings aiming to educate healthcare professionals and biomedical scientists about pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine. In this meeting report, we provide an overview of the scientific lectures and the topics discussed during the 6th Golden Helix Pharmacogenomics Day that was held in Belgrade, Serbia last June 5, 2012. The scientific program included lectures by the local and international speakers from Europe and the United States.

Genetics, genomics and society: the responsibilities of scientists for science communication and education

Misconceptions about genetics and genomics, such as notions of genetic determinism and the existence of ‘genes for’ particular traits, are widespread both in educational contexts and in the public perception of genetics and genomics. Owing to such misunderstandings, the prospect of personalized medicine often raises concerns with the general public about possible adverse societal consequences of the technologies that are implemented. Among the questions that are to be addressed in this context are: to what extent is personalized medical treatment possible? Does it require access to sensitive personal data? Who should be given such access? What other ethical issues might be raised by personalized medicine? How could these be answered? We argue that scientists have a professional responsibility to effectively communicate current knowledge and views about potential applications to the public in order to better address and resolve such issues.

Conference Scene: Golden Helix Pharmacogenomics Days: educational activities on pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine

The Golden Helix Pharmacogenomics Days are high-profile international educational scientific meetings discussing pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine. Here, we provide an overview of the scientific lectures and the topics discussed during the 4th Golden Helix Pharmacogenomics Day, held in Cagliari, Italy, on 7 October 2011, and the 5th Golden Helix Pharmacogenomics Day, that was held in Msida, Malta, on 3 December 2011. The scientific programs of both events included scientific and company lectures on pharmacogenomics, bioinformatics and personalized medicine by local and international speakers from Europe and the USA.