While most patients with the same condition are given the same drug prescription, they in fact tend to respond differently. An important factor that causes such an inter-individual difference is genetic polymorphism, i.e. variants in genes that are involved in drug processing in the body. Thus, identifying these variants and understanding their impact on drug response are crucial for improving drug treatment outcomes. Given that known variants with such an impact are not sufficient to completely explain the inter-individual variability, this project aim to leverage large-scale genotype and sequencing data in UK biobank in combination with recorded drug response data (e.g. information documented in the electronic health records) to identify novel genetic variants that are associated with abnormal drug response. The project will last three years. We expected in this period to generate valuable genetic markers that can identify patients that may experience low drug efficacy or adverse drug reactions and thus guide the optimization of drug treatment strategies for personalized medicine.
