The third Primary Care Talks podcast has been released where host Dr Hasan Chowhan, discusses bringing first-of-a-kind genomic testing projects into primary care with Cambridge GP, Dr Alina Roser.
Both GPs are currently running projects exploring how pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing can benefit patients and improve the accuracy of prescribing, to ensure treatment drugs are safer and more effective.
Dr Hasan Chowhan a GP principal in Colchester, Chair of NHS North East Essex CCG said “This podcast is particularly exciting for me because both Dr Roser and I are running parallel projects to investigate how to bring genomics into primary care. These are among the first projects of their kind in the UK. There is much to debate and discuss regarding how to make this technology work for NHS primary care teams and maximise the benefit for patients.”
Dr Roser’s project focusses on the opportunity to improve prescribing for anti-depressants and for Familial Hypercholesterolemia, an inherited high cholesterol condition. Dr Chowhan’s project centres on supporting children with asthma, aiming to intervene with a genetic test to establish the presence of gene that is not responsive to steroid treatment. If identified in the child, the course of treatment could be altered to improve outcomes for the patients.
PGx testing may help doctors to select the right drug and dose for their patients. It may also aid the development of new drugs and help to foster better stratification of patient groups. PGx is a tool to help translate the concept of ‘precision medicine’ into routine clinical care.
The Primary Care Talks can be accessed here.
