Individualized Dosages
Technology
to individualize medicine dosages is being used for the first time at MCG.
The AmpliChip CYP450 Test, developed by Roche Diagnostics, analyzes variations of the two major genes involved in metabolizing about 25 percent of all drugs. MCG’s molecular diagnostic lab is a Roche Diagnostics Molecular Center of Excellence and the first academic center in the country to acquire this technology.
MCG initially will use the test to optimize doses of commonly used psychiatric drugs, according to Dr. Stephen C. Peiper, chair of the MCG Department of Pathology and a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Clinician and Scientist.
CYP450 is a major subset of metabolizing genes, and the Roche test looks for variations of two of those genes, CYP2D6 and CYP2C19. The genes are highly expressed in the liver, according to Dr. Zixuan (Zoe) Wang, molecular biologist and scientific director of MCG’s Georgia Esoteric and Molecular Diagnostic Labs, L.L.C., where the new technology is housed.
The test uses a blood sample to determine how quickly a patient metabolizes a specific drug. Generally speaking, the slower the metabolism, the lower the dosage needs to be to optimize efficacy and minimize the risk of side effects.
“Many drugs work through these pathways,” said Dr. Wang. “Side effects are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, and most of the side effects are associated with the genotype.”