(Apologies for sending duplicate messages to the list - our email system
has changed its format and bypassed my intellectual capabilities. I think
I've got the hang of it now).
I was at the BIVDA meeting too, and Glyn Colebrook's presentation was
certainly interesting. I assume that these genotype screening systems
for pharmacogenetic purposes will have some inbuilt alogorithm/expert
system for interpreting the results. Presumably there will be specific
systems for each drug or drug group, developed by the pharmaceutical
company's diagnostics arm (if it has one, or by contract with a
"boutique" biotech comany if it hasn't)?
I'm not so confident about QA; I'm sure this is something which our
Molecular Genetics colleagues should keep an eye on.
Joan Pearson
LTH
> Looking further into the future of pharmaceuticals, with the likely advent
> of personalised medicines there will be a big need for diagnostic testing
> (biochemical or genetic)to decide which patients benefit (or don't) from
> which drug.
>
> Ultimately the logical place for most of this will be POC, i.e. just before
> the medication is or isn't administered. The POC elements in these long and
> hugely expensive drug development processes (like each other phase) will
> have to go through research to validate the interventions.
>
> I see this as a huge area in the long term with conventional types of POCT
> being used in drug development/trials and also novel types of POC testing
> becoming available, including DNA testing, for use by clinicians in deciding
> what drugs to use. The issue of QA I am sure will be grasped by the pharma
> industry.
>
> I didn't just make it up! Glyn Colebrook from GSK gave a talk about POCT and
> its interaction with pharmaceuticals yesterday at the BIVDA POCT meeting in
> London.
>
>
> Steve Frost
> The Princess Royal Hospital
|