Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNSC - news) and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine today published results demonstrating for the first time that a response to a drug can be predicted from an individual's own DNA using genomic markers called haplotypes. The findings were published in today's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Drysdale, et al.)(1).* (Photo: newscom.com )
The study involved 121 asthmatic volunteers in a ``real world'' trial who came to a clinic seeking relief from their symptoms. Lung function was measured before and after treatment with albuterol, a drug commonly used by physicians to achieve rapid improvement in lung function. The individual responses to albuterol were correlated to the sequence variations found in the gene encoding the (beta)2-adrenergic receptor, the target of albuterol. The receptor gene was found to have 13 different positions of sequence variation, or SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms). Theoretically, these 13 SNPs could be arranged into 213, or 8,192 possible haplotype (HAP(TM) Marker) combinations. However, Genaissance discovered that only 12 unique HAP(TM) Markers occur in nature and that only four were found in the majority of the patients.
``We found clear correlations between specific HAP(TM) Markers and clinical response to albuterol. The drug response predictions could not have been made by using only the individual SNPs,'' said Stephen Liggett, M.D., Principal Investigator of the study, Professor of Medicine and Molecular Genetics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and Executive Medical Advisor to Genaissance. ``In addition, this technology allowed us to obtain very strong results from a modest number of patients.''
``This study stands as a crucial proof of concept for the Genaissance HAP(TM) Technology,'' said Gualberto Ruano, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genaissance. ``The promise of using each patient's DNA to guide the delivery of better, more personalized healthcare is quickly becoming a reality. We have planned another clinical trial in asthma, and are applying the same set of technologies to a variety of other therapeutic areas including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and schizophrenia.''
Genaissance uses a unique approach to organize multiple positions of gene variation (SNPs) into haplotypes, or HAP(TM) Markers, and to correlate this information with clinical outcomes. HAP(TM) Markers, analogous to genomic ``bar codes,'' represent the distinct patterns of genomic variability that have accumulated over time in the human population. In many cases, this variation can explain why some people experience a better response to medication than others do. Conversely, it can also help explain why certain people develop side effects where others do not. |
