Exploring the promise of personalised pharmacotherapy with genetic testing
Though advances in genomic research have increased in recent years, the translation to delivering personalised treatment to patients has lagged behind. This is partly due lack of validation of genetic biomarkers and mixed findings if validation studies were conducted. My research focused on the role of genetic biomarkers to optimise pharmacotherapy outcomes, focusing on patients with major depressive disorder and type II diabetes.
Multiple investigations were conducted, but a definitive conclusion on the role of novel genetic biomarkers for precision pharmacotherapy was not determined. Although the study designs had their limitations, the investigations provided insights into further conduct of analyses. Furthermore, as replicability and validation of findings remains paramount for integration into clinical practice, considerations on how data should be collected and curated become more important. Looking to the future, developments in ‘personalised’ treatment have focused on investigations using genetic testing to optimise pharmacotherapeutic interventions. Thus, the role social determinants of health play in health outcomes, such as gender, education and access to healthcare is not investigated, presenting an opportunity to further ‘personalise’ treatment options.
Future research in personalised medicine should consider how social determinants of health (e.g. the environment) interplay with biological factors (e.g. genetics) to better understand how to optimise treatment outcomes and bring personalised medicine to everyone.