Bangkok--13 Dec--TCELS
‘Genetically Thai’ - Thai scientists identify genetic pattern common to Thais
Discovery will help tailor innovative drugs and treatments specifically for Thais
A group of pre-eminent Thai scientists today announced that they had identified a specific genetic pattern that is common to Thai people. The project, developed and funded by the Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS), was conducted by a team of scientists from Mahidol University, Chulalongkorn University, the Department of Mental Health, Japan’s Riken Yokohama Institute, and Yale University of the USA.
Dr. Thongchai Thavichachart, CEO of TCELS, said, “The discovery marks a victory for researchers who came from so many different institutions and collaborated on this breakthrough. We are especially proud that the research team was led by a Thai scientist.”
He said the breakthrough promises to help scientists better understand how Thai people, in particular, respond to disease, bacteria, viruses, toxins, and other chemicals, as well as make drugs and other therapies more effective when treating Thai people.
“Ultimately, it will help our researchers better tailor treatments and therapies to suit Thai patients,” he said.
Associate Professor Dr. Wasun Chantratita, the coordinator of the project as well as Chief of Virology and Molecular Biology at Ramathibodi Hospital, said, “Currently, almost all research on the effectiveness of new drugs is based on tests that were conducted on non-Thais. The small genetic variations between different ethic groups of people can sometimes have important consequences on the efficacy of drugs.
“These variations in DNA sequence that occur when a single nucleotide in the genome sequence is altered — or, what we call SNPs — can have an effect on cell function, making some groups of people more prone to certain diseases, or affect how they respond to a drug.
“Being able to identify common SNPs among Thais will mean that we will be able to tailor medicines and treatments better to suit Thai patients and make those treatments more effective. We will also be able to predict with greater accuracy the likelihood of certain diseases developing among Thai people, including diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, certain heart diseases, as well as even possibly cancer, so that some timely preventative action can be taken,” he added.
Dr. Thongchai said that the findings would now be forwarded to research units in hospitals and other institutions in Thailand to help them in their developmental work on treatments.
The project comprised leading scientists including Associate Professor Dr. Wasun Chantratita from Ramathibodi Hospital, and Dr. Surakameth Mahasirimongkol from the Department of Medical Science, Ministry of Public Health.