Columbus, OH – Researchers from the Ohio State University have developed a rapid, multiplexed genotyping method to identify the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that affect warfarin dose. The related report by Yang et al, "Rapid Genotyping of SNPs Influencing Warfarin Drug Response by SELDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry," appears in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.
Warfarin is an anti-coagulant that is commonly used to prevent blood clots and embolism. However, warfarin dosing is complicated by the fact that it interacts with many commonly used medications and even chemicals in some foods. Certain genetic variations, SNPs, also affect warfarin sensitivity and metabolism.
A group led by Dr. Haifeng M. Wu of the Ohio State University has developed a new rapid method to genotype SNPs that will help clinicians to choose appropriate doses of warfarin for individual patients. Using surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS), which can determine the elemental composition of a sample, Yang et al could determine the genotype of three warfarin-related SNPs in under five hours with high levels of accuracy.
Yang et al suggest that "on-site application of this method in hospital laboratories will greatly help clinicians to determine appropriate doses of warfarin to treat patients with thromboembolic disorders." In future studies, Dr Wu and colleagues plan to apply the SELDI-TOF platform to genotype other medically important SNPs that influence the efficacy and safety profiles of many drug therapies and ultimately to promote personalized health care at Ohio State University .
Yang S, Xu L, Wu HM: Rapid Genotyping of SNPs Influencing Warfarin Drug Response by SELDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry. J Mol Diagn 2010, 162-168
For press copies of the articles, please contact Dr. Angela Colmone at 301-634-7953 or acolmone@asip.org.
For more information on Dr. Wu, please contact him via phone at (614) 2929-335 or e-mail at haifeng.wu@osumc.edu .
The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, the official publication of the Association for Molecular Pathology, co-published by the American Society for Investigative Pathology, seeks to publish high quality original papers on scientific advances in the translation and validation of molecular discoveries in medicine into the clinical diagnostic setting, and the description and application of technological advances in the field of molecular diagnostic medicine. The editors welcome for review articles that contain: novel discoveries or clinicopathologic correlations including studies in oncology, infectious diseases, inherited diseases, predisposition to disease, or the description or polymorphisms linked to disease states or normal variations; the application of diagnostic methodologies in clinical trials; or the development of new or improved molecular methods for diagnosis or monitoring of disease or disease predisposition.
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Journal of Molecular Diagnostics