HYDERABAD: Scientists at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad have reported eight new variants of the cytochrome-P450-2C9 (CYP2C9) gene, which plays an essential role in metabolism of a wide range of drugs, including anti-epileptic and anti-hypertensive drugs.
“It is important to know the variations in the CYP2C9 gene to help medical practitioners decide the right dosage of medicine for each patient.
The knowledge of this variation will also be important for conducting more meaningful clinical trials. This study also suggests that it might not be the best thing to conduct a common clinical trial for the entire world. We need population-specific trials”, says Dr K Thangaraj, corresponding author of the paper in which these findings were reported.
He was formerly working at the CCMB and is presently the Director of Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Hyderabad.
“Healthcare is now moving towards personalised medicine. Our studies on the genetic diversity of India will play an important role in this transition”, said Dr Rakesh Mishra, Director, CCMB.“We found eight new variants of the CYP2C9 gene, making a total of 11 known variants of the gene in South Asia”, said Dr Nizamuddin, who is the first author in the study.
Any changes in the sequence of CYP2C9 gene may affect the metabolism of drugs in the liver. “A few Indian populations have more than 20 per cent people with a deleterious variant of the CYP2C9 gene - CYP2C9*3. Those with this variant are at a disadvantage in their ability to metabolise drugs. The eight new variants found in this study are also predicted to have a similar effect on drug metabolism”, stated a press release by the CCMB”.
1,488 Indians across 36 groups studied
The study was conducted among 1,488 Indians across 36 population groups, representing different linguistic groups, castes and tribes, among other parameters. They also looked into genes of 1,087 individuals from other countries of South Asia.
A few Indian populations have more than 20 per cent people with a deleterious variant of the CYP2C9 gene. Those with this variant are at a disadvantage in their ability to metabolise drugs.