New research could lead to personalized prescriptions
September 29, 2010
907-474-5221
9/29/10
性欲社 will study how the genetics and diet of Yup鈥檌k Eskimos affect the blood-thinning properties of a common drug used by heart and stroke patients.
The research could lead to personalized drug prescriptions. The 性欲社 Center for Alaska Native Health Research will conduct the research as part of a $1.02 million National Institutes of Health sub-award through the University of Washington.
鈥淲e鈥檒l be looking at the genetic code that contributes to the rate the body breaks down the blood thinner warfarin,鈥 said Bert Boyer, acting CANHR director. 鈥淜nowing this information may eventually help physicians find a safe and effective dose.鈥
CANHR researchers will team with UW professors Wylie Burke and Ken Thummel and others to create a Northwest-Alaska center to study pharmacogenomics鈥攈ow genetics affects a person's ability to process drugs鈥攊n rural and underserved populations. UW received a five-year, $10 million grant from the NIH Pharmacogenomics Research Network and is one of 14 awardees nationally.
Pharmacogenomics researchers are looking to identify how genes could be used to tailor drug prescriptions to make them more effective and safer for patients.
Warfarin is a successful, but hard-to-manage, blood thinner, especially for people with limited access to health care like Alaska鈥檚 Yup鈥檌k Eskimos in the Yukon-Kuskokwim delta, where the CANHR study will take place. Too much of it could cause hemorrhaging and too little leads to blood clotting and blockage, Boyer said. A patient has to be monitored closely.
Genes have a substantial effect on the way the body processes drugs, he said. 鈥淚f we know how genetic changes contribute to warfarin breakdown, perhaps physicians could prescribe a safe and effective dose more quickly.鈥
Previous research in the United States has documented warfarin鈥檚 interaction with genes in the Caucasian population, but Alaska Natives and Native Americans have not been studied.
CANHR researchers will also look at how polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin K interact with warfarin among the Yup鈥檌k people. Their marine-based diet is rich in the fatty acids, but not foods with a lot of vitamin K, which is commonly found in green, leafy vegetables. The fatty acids are believed to act as a blood-thinning agent while vitamin K encourages blood clotting, Boyer explained.
The project will also offer a chance to use an isotopic measurement tool developed by CANHR, said Diane O鈥橞rien, a scientist at the center. Typically, researchers studying diet ask participants questions about what and how much they eat and analyze the answers. However, O鈥橞rien found that the stable isotope nitrogen 15 can be found in hair and blood samples and is an accurate measurement of how much polyunsaturated fatty acids a person has eaten.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a quick, inexpensive and easy way to measure fish intake,鈥 O鈥橞rien said. 鈥淚t was CANHR-developed and now being applied. It鈥檚 exciting.鈥
CANHR, part of the 性欲社 Institute of Arctic Biology, was established in 2001 by a NIH National Center for Research Resources grant. CANHR鈥檚 mission is to build and increase research capacity to improve Alaska Native health.
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Bert Boyer, CANHR acting director, 907-474-7733, bboyer@alaska.edu. Diane O鈥橞rien, CANHR associate professor, 907-474-5762, dmobrien@alaska.edu.
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