Making Warfarin Safer with Pharmacogenomics

Warfarin is one of the most popular anticoagulants on the market. But an incorrect dose can mean disaster. Dr. Allan Rettie is using cutting-edge science to make Warfarin safer and more effective. In doing so, he's taking some of the first steps in demonstrating the wider potential of pharmacogenomics. Pharmacogenomics is a science that looks at genetic information in order to tailor drug treatments. With a $2 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Science, Rettie is studying the battery of genes that determine how people respond to Warfarin. He collaborates with other universities and with faculty in UW Genome Sciences to paint a more complete picture of why people require widely differing doses of this drug. Part of Rettie's research is unraveling the genetic differences between ethnic and racial groups as they relate to Warfarin. This information will help clinicians better tailor treatments to diverse populations and eventually map out a template for explaining genetic interdependencies of other drugs. Once viewed as "pie in the sky" thinking, pharmacogenomics could instead shape the future of drug treatment.