New gene test helps in prescribing medicines

Helsinki-Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) Diagnostic Center has developed and implemented a new gene test that enables to better determine which medicines are suitable for the patient, said HUS in a release.

Not all medicines are suitable for everyone. With some medicines, the human genes determine what kind of effect the medicine will have. Before prescribing this type of medicines, it may be necessary to perform a gene test on the patient to help the physician select the medicine and determine the dose correctly.

Previously, HUS Diagnostic Center always tested one gene with an impact on pharmacotherapy at a time. The new test, implemented in January, can be used to simultaneously examine all those gene variants associated with medicines that are currently clinically relevant.

This way, information about the patient is also collected in advance for possible subsequent pharmaceutical treatments. Treatment can also be started sooner when there is no need to wait for the results of the new gene test. The test results may affect both the choice of the medicine and the dose.

“More than one half of HUS’s patients receive medication in which it would be beneficial to take into account genetic variation,” said Mikko Niemi, Professor of Pharmacogenetics at the University of Helsinki and Head Physician at HUS Diagnostic Center. He was in charge of the development of the new gene test.

The testing begins with the collection of a blood sample from which DNA is isolated. The genes in the DNA are analysed using a laboratory method developed at HUS Diagnostic Center and a computer program developed for this test.

“At the moment, the customer receives the result in about a week,” said Arto Orpana, Chief Clinical Chemist from HUS, who was involved in creating the test.

New features are constantly added to the test, which currently provides information on 12 different genes. The test has been built to allow modifications if medical research provides new information on the effect of genes on the efficacy of medicines.

The samples are examined at the Genetics laboratory of HUS Diagnostic Center. No other party in Finland conducts such comprehensive research on genes affecting pharmacotherapy. A special feature of the test is its advanced interpretation of results to facilitate clinical work. The test is available at HUS Diagnostic Center for the whole of Finland.

The new gene test provides information only on the suitability of medicines. In other words, it does not reveal any hereditary diseases or other characteristics.

So far, the new genetic test has been performed on 2,000 samples at HUS Diagnostic Center. Most of the tests have been performed on cancer patients. Other groups have included patients with depression, inflammatory bowel diseases and skin diseases.

The new test developed at HUS Diagnostic Center is internationally unique. Testing can now be done even faster and it is cheaper.

“We have managed to make the costs low. These tests are often expensive,” Niemi said . “In terms of its technical implementation, the test is cutting-edge.”

A system is currently being built in the Apotti patient information system to automatically check the results of the patient's gene test. For example, the system may suggest that the physician treating the patient should prescribe a certain dose or select another medicine.