Pharmacogenetics
Pharmacogenetics: personalized medicine at the service of the patient
Explore solutions for pharmacogenetics
The role of pharmacogenetics in the choice of treatments
Depending on the drug and the variants analyzed, pharmacogenetic tests can help to:
- support the choice of the most appropriate therapy;
- guide dose definition;
- identify patients with an increased risk of adverse effects;
- identify possible genetic causes of a reduced therapeutic response;
- promote a personalized therapeutic approach.
This information can be useful in various clinical areas, including oncology, cardiology, neurology, psychiatry, gastroenterology and pain management.
Pharmacogenetics and personalized medicine: the example of the DPYD gene
Molecular diagnostics makes it possible to identify genetic variants associated with drug response. The results, interpreted together with the patient’s clinical characteristics and information on the treatment, help the physician make more targeted therapeutic decisions.
An example in oncology concerns 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and the other fluoropyrimidines. Specific variants of the DPYD gene are associated with reduced activity of the DPD enzyme and an increased risk of severe toxicity. Their identification before the start of therapy provides useful information for evaluating the most appropriate treatment. Nuclear Laser Medicine offers a test for the detection of DPYD gene variants associated with clinically relevant adverse reactions.
The integration of genetic analysis and clinical evaluation makes pharmacogenetics a tool of precision medicine, with the aim of improving the safety and efficacy of drug therapies.