UPMC and University of Pittsburgh are making strides in achieving precision medicine through pharmacogenomics, which is the practice of using a patient’s genetics to deliver more effective medications.
Pharmacogenomics is a leading use case for implementing precision medicine at UPMC, as the science evolves, drug prices climb, and patients increasingly want to know how their individual genetics might affect the medications they’re prescribed, explained Philip Empey, PharmD, PhD, School of Pharmacy faculty member and Associate Director for Pharmacogenomics, Institute for Precision Medicine, University of Pittsburgh.
During a presentation at UPMC Enterprises, Dr. Empey discussed efforts by UPMC and Pitt to demonstrate the value of using DNA testing to determine the best drugs for individual patients, including the establishment of a Pharmacogenomics Center of Excellence.
Dr. Empey – who also leads MEDIvate, one of the first projects funded by the Pittsburgh Health Data Alliance – described work at UPMC to test patients who receive stents to treat clogged arteries for a gene variant that makes them less likely to respond to the common blood-thinning drug clopidogrel.
About 30 percent of all patients have the gene variant that can lead to decreased effectiveness of clopidogrel and increased risk for strokes, heart attacks, and death. After studying nearly 2,000 patients who had genetic testing at the time of a cardiac procedure, researchers at Pitt and other sites found a significant lower incidence of complications if patients with the gene variant were given an alternative drug to clopidogrel, Dr. Empey said.
Additionally, researchers have estimated that using genetic testing to guide decisions about which drug to prescribe following cardiac procedures can save money because patients are less likely to return to the hospital with complications, Dr. Empey said.
To apply this project to more use cases, Pitt and Thermo Fisher Scientific have established the Pharmacogenomics Center of Excellence, which is being led by Dr. Empey. The center will focus on identifying genomic variations that impact medication response and provide analysis and interpretation for researchers, clinicians, and patients. At least 150,000 patients in western and central Pennsylvania will be screened by the center and the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science to find associations between genetic variations and drug response.
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