SWEDEGENE - genetic causes of adverse drug reactions

Adverse drug reactions are a common cause of morbidity and death. The total cost amounts annually to 10% of the Swedish healthcare budget. There is therefore much to be gained by using precision medicine to identify the most appropriate drug for the individual patient using genetic testing. Currently, knowledge of the genetic causes of adverse drug reactions is limited. The research initiative SWEDEGENE, for which the main applicant is the project leader, has changed the conditions and provides good opportunities for studies in this area. At present, SWEDEGENE has collected DNA and clinical data for about 3200 patients who have suffered about 40 different types of adverse drug reactions. The first results of the project have identified several clinically relevant associations between side effects and genetic variation. At present, there are results from whole genome scans for 2300 patients and for 1,000 individuals also from whole genome sequencing. The purpose of the project is to process and report the collected data generated by the research initiative.