Pitt-led study finds genes that change how drugs work

Every person in a massive new genetic study carried at least one gene variant. Each one changes how their body handles medication. Researchers led by the University of Pittsburgh analyzed DNA from nearly 100,000 people in NIH's All of Us program. The typical person carried nine such variants. The same pill, at the same dose, can work differently from patient to patient. Not because of weight or age. Because of DNA.

This isn't just an academic curiosity. Take one chemotherapy drug used for colon cancer. It can cause serious toxicity in up to 8% of patients who carry a particular variant. Doctors can test for that variant before treatment starts, instead of finding out the hard way. The All of Us program was built to include people from ancestries earlier genetic studies left out. That's part of why this analysis found so many new variants.

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Will doctors actually start testing for this before writing prescriptions? Right now, most don't. Genetic testing before a prescription is still rare, even for drugs where it clearly matters. Studies like this one build the evidence that could eventually make it routine. Until then, knowing your genes affect your medication doesn't mean your pharmacy checks them.