Transcript
How you feel after a cup of coffee could predict how your body will respond to different drugs, but your doctor will probably not take that into account. Yet. So you're feeling depressed, huh? Let's try giving you an SSRI. That didn't work? Yeah, that happens a lot. We don't know why. I'm just going to try to prescribe you an SNRI instead, and we'll see how that goes. Over the last century, doctors have had to take this type of soft approach when prescribing medicine, with lots of trial and error involved. and basic ethnicity is really not enough to predict your body's response to most drugs.
Enzymes are special proteins in your body that help it break down complicated molecules, like drugs. You have thousands of different enzymes, each with its own range of targets. I've previously covered how one particular enzyme called CYP1A2 is the main one responsible for breaking down caffeine and a pretty wide array of other substances. You can be a fast, slow, or medium caffeine metabolizer based on just a few small genetic variations impacting how this enzyme functions. genetic snip means that I'm a fast caffeine metabolizer, which checks out, given the size of my coffee mug. But my body uses that same CYP1A2 enzyme to break down a whole host of other drugs.
Some, like ones used to treat asthma or chronic lung disease, have what's called the narrow therapeutic index, meaning that a small variation on dosage can have a big impact on its function and side effects. If you can fall asleep soon after coffee, that could indicate that you should start these sort of drugs at a higher dose. Imagine if your doctor could take this type of info into account when prescribing anything. gene interactions, the data just isn't there yet. Because until recently, genetic sequencing has been too expensive to be a default part of drug trials. Or doctor's visits. Which is why I'm excited to be partnering with Illumina for this video. They're the ones that develop and build the genetic sequencing machines that are used by 90% of the researchers and companies in the space. And genetics-based, personalized medicine has the potential to make the world a much healthier place.
Additional notes
Caption: Yes, you can look up that SNP in your own genetic raw data that you get from most sequencing companies! And for anyone who’s worried about the medical system having their genetic data… you get x-rays don’t you? EKG’s? Knowledge just gives us options 😉 @Illumina #partner #Genomics #science #sciencetok #coffee
References
- Related source page: Raw Genetic Data
- No exact linked source, study title, DOI, or PMID found in the available source material for this specific transcript.