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Carney Centre for Pharmacogenomics launchedPharmacogenomics is one of those words which people often have difficulty in getting to grips with. Part of the reason may be that it’s a relatively new and unfamiliar area of medical research, although the University of Otago is now at the cutting edge with the recent opening of the Carney Centre for Pharmacogenomics. The Centre was officially opened in May by the Vice Chancellor, and is based within the Department of Pathology at the Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences. It has been initiated by the University’s Advancement Office and funded by the generosity of the Jim and Mary Carney Charitable Trust, along with matching Government funding by the Partnerships for Excellence scheme. “This is a wonderful opportunity for the School and the University to really accelerate our research in pharmacogenomics,” says Director Associate Professor Martin Kennedy.“ It means that with a dedicated staff and base funding we’re in a much stronger position to concentrate and draw together multidisciplinary expertise in a sustained way.” However, it is not as though scientists and clinicians in Christchurch and Dunedin are starting from scratch in this relatively new area of medical research. They are already well up to speed, with researchers in both centres using pharmacogenomic techniques. Associate Professor Kennedy is also co-ordinator of the University’s Area of Research Strength in ‘Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics’. So what is pharmacogenomics? Essentially it involves using knowledge gained through investigating our genetic make-up, especially after the mapping of the human genome in 2001, to make drug treatment more effective and safer. “The problem with some medication is it can have toxic side-effects, or not work at all for some people. At times this can be extremely serious,” explains Associate Professor Kennedy. “We know genes can play a significant role in how the body metabolises drugs to produce particular side-effects; the challenge is to find which are the important genes and how we can apply this knowledge clinically.” “If scientists and clinicians can identify which particular genes have a negative role in metabolising medication, they can then prescribe the right drug and dose more accurately. So the Carney Centre will be analysing the relationship between genes and the effectiveness of particular medications for different conditions.” Initially the Centre will focus on extending the collaborative research Associate Professor Kennedy and his colleagues have been doing with Clinical Pharmacology (Professor Evan Begg), Psychological Medicine (Professor Peter Joyce), Gastroenterology (Dr Murray Barclay), and Respiratory Research (Professor Robin Taylor). “We have for instance already carried out a lot of research with Psychological Medicine into genetic impacts on particular anti-depressants,” says Associate Professor Kennedy. This close clinical-scientific collaboration will identify which genes and enzymes affect response to particular drugs for conditions such as depression, inflammatory bowel disease, or asthma. Already for instance, leukaemia patients in Christchurch are given a test to make sure they do not have a particular gene that can produce negative side-effects with certain medications. “One of the great strengths of Christchurch is the close contact between scientists and excellent clinical researchers with patient volunteers. Added to this is our ability to carry out good genetics and pharmacology research as well,” says Martin. “It’s important to understand we have to do basic research to achieve some of these clinical goals, we just can’t take information from overseas and apply it to our patients. We’re very interested in developing assays enabling clinicians to test if a patient is vulnerable to overdose or a negative reaction because of their genetic make-up.” Over the next five years it’s expected that the Carney Centre for Pharmacogenomics will add significant value to the University of Otago’s research capacity by drawing together a number of groups already involved in this area. It will provide high quality postgraduate scientific and medical education, and disseminate information throughout the health system to improve clinical practice. An Advisory Board will review progress of the Centre in terms of research output on an annual basis.
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