Bangkok--16 Jul--TCELS
Research teams from Ramathibodi hospital, Mahidol University and Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health will reveal the novel DNA screening assays for severe adverse drug reactions of 8 out of 10 drugs-most serious adverse drug reactions listed by Thai Food and Drug administration. This Pharmacogenetics screening test, which is based on DNA assay from saliva or whole blood, could provide information whether the medication is likely to help or hurt people before they ever take. This event will be held in ASEAN Life Sciences Conference & Exhibition 2013 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, during July 17-19. There will be the research team of the pharmacogenomics project from Ramathibodi hospital provide clinical pharmacy consultation for pharmacogenetics testing at no cost.
Prof. Wasun Chantratita, Director of Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine project and the head of the research team explains that Thai scientists have been working for years to match specific gene variations with responses to severe side effects of the low-cost, off-patent drugs. Among the top 10 drugs responsible for causing adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in Thai population, we found many predictive genomic markers for 8 drugs that could be used to screen out those high risk to have severe ADR. Pharmacogenomics can provide doctors with information to tailor treatments individually, making the low-cost, off-patent drugs near equally effective as the modern medicines with less side effect. Those consist of a group of anticonvulsant drugs (Carbamazepine, Phenobarbital, and Phenytoin), the drug treatment of gout (Allopurinol), and the group of national first-line antiretroviral drugs (Nevirapine, Efavirenz, Abacavir and Starvudine). Each drug groups could be simultaneous screened for ADR using the world’s first assay researched and developed by the team at the cost of only 1,000 baht per assay sample. The team will present the discovery and application of hospital laboratory services in the "ASEAN Life Sciences Conference and Exhibition 2013" at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre between 17-19 July and will be given the privilege of free pharmacogenetics programs (pharmacogenetics consultation and DNA testing) for 20 people selected from those who visit the booth of Pharmacogenomcis and personalized medicine and those who listen to lectures on the center stage on "DNA testing prior to hospital treatment" on July 17 at 13.00 - 13.30 and the Conference in Thailand Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine: Present and Future (Auditorium Room, Track 7-8) on July 18, 2013 between 9:00 to 12:00 am.
In the booth of the pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine, located in the exhibition zone the team will present the state of the art pharmacogenetics and personalized medicine screening test utilizing saliva and whole blood on the molecular point-of-care platform. The CE-IVD interpretation software for pharmacogenetics and personalized medicine testing will be included. This is the collaboration among Thailand, Japan, Canada, and Luxembourg.
Prof. Wasan said that the pharmacogenomics project has been received funding from Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS) from 2005 onwards. Initially, the studies has been focused on pharmacogenomics since varieties of modern medications in developed countries save millions of lives a year. However, in the developing world, we cannot afford that many medicines. If we get it wrong for the first time, we may not have a second chance. And if we get it wrong the second time; it’s almost certain that we never have a third chance. Therefore, it is very crucial in resource limited setting, such as Thailand to pick the right drugs at the beginning based on pharmacogenetics assays. Choose the wrong drug, patients may lose chance to cure the disease, causing serious injury, shorten their lives, and wasting the National healthcare budget. Thereafter the year 2013 — 2017, the research and development team will focus on personalized medicine finding the location on the genome that can be used to predict the risk, or help in the treatment of persons who have the gene mutation.
Those interested can register to attend the lectures; Free reservation hotline 1313 www.asean-lifesciences.org or 02-6445499.
www.tcels.or.th, 02-6445499