Precision medicine for rheumatologists: lessons from the pharmacogenomics of azathioprine.

ABSTRACT: Precision medicine aims to personalize treatment for both effectiveness and safety. As a critical component of this emerging initiative, pharmacogenomics seeks to guide drug treatment based on genetics. In this review article, we give an overview of pharmacogenomics in the setting of an immunosuppressant frequently prescribed by rheumatologists, azathioprine. Azathioprine has a narrow therapeutic index and a high risk of adverse events. By applying candidate gene analysis and unbiased approaches, researchers have identified multiple variants associated with an increased risk for adverse events associated with azathioprine, particularly bone marrow suppression. Variants in two genes, TPMT and NUDT15, are widely recognized, leading drug regulatory agencies and professional organizations to a

SUBMITTER: Daniel LL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7775870 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature