Genomic Tests to Guide Choice of Chemotherapy

Filed in archive Diagnostics, Methodologies and Instrumentation , Drugs, Vaccines and Therapeutics , Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics on October 23, 2006

Scientists at Duke University's Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy have developed a genomic test to help predict which drugs are suitable for treating a patient's cancerous tumor, based on the tumor's genomic profile.

The new tests have the potential to save lives and reduce patients' exposure to the toxic side effects of chemotherapy, said Anil Potti, M.D., the study's lead investigator and an assistant professor of medicine in the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy. The tests are designed to help doctors select and initiate treatment with the best drug for a patient's tumor instead of trying various drugs in succession until the right one is found, Potti said.

Preliminary tests indicate that the test is about 80% accurate, and clinical trials are planned for next year. The results of the preliminary study has been published in Nature Medicine (doi:10.1038/nm1491). For an overview, see the press release from Duke University Medical Center.