Partnership
A handheld device that predicts whether patients will respond adversely to medication is one step closer to the market, following an agreement between the pharmaceutical company Pfizer and Imperial College London spin-out DNA Electronics.
DNA Electronics has developed a prototype device that assesses whether patients are genetically predisposed to suffering adverse reactions to prescription drugs. They are now carrying out trials to test its effectiveness, after sealing the partnership with Pfizer.
The £1.2 million project is part-funded by the UK government's Technology and Strategy Board. Imperial and DNA Electronics will provide the scientific and product development team, with Pfizer providing expertise on single nucleotide polymorphisms, clinical samples and feedback as a potential end user of the product.
The UK’s National Health Service spends £460 million per annum treating 250,000 patients who are admitted to hospital suffering adverse reactions to prescribed medication. These reactions can vary in severity, from dizziness and nausea to heart palpitations or unconsciousness.
A test to identify people likely to react badly to prescribed medication such as anti-depressants or cholesterol-lowering drugs could enable doctors to tailor dosages and drugs to the individual needs of each patient.
The device undergoing trials is the Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Doctor, or SNP Dr. It is a portable technology that gives fast accurate spot test results for specific DNA sequences that indicate how individuals are likely to respond to certain drugs.
In particular, the researchers are exploring how the SNP Dr might detect genetic sequences linked with metabolism. A slow metabolism can make drugs stay in the body longer, causing adverse side effects, while a fast metabolism can process medication too quickly for it to have any effect.
The SNP Dr works by analysing the DNA in saliva or cheek swab samples, which are placed in a cartridge and exposed to the silicon chip sensors inside the device.
Leila Shepherd, Chief Technology Officer of DNA Electronics, believes the introduction of the SNP Dr into the GP’s surgeries could also pave the way for new types of drugs to reach patients in the future. “At the moment, some cancer fighting drugs are deemed uneconomical because they only work for a certain subset of patients. If doctors had a method of screening patients to see whether these drugs work, then suddenly these therapies would be more cost effective to use,” she said.
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