PISCES
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Pharmacogenomics to Improve Supportive Care Symptoms
IRAS ID
354053
Contact name
Martyn Patel
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The PISCES study aims to explore how knowledge of an individuals common genetic variation may help improve decisions about prescribing medications, particularly for serious illnesses. This research focuses on understanding whether genetic testing before prescribing medications could improve treatment effectiveness and safety.
Why palliative care patients?
We are studying how genetic factors may affect how effective certain medications that are commonly prescribed for symptom relief in patients with life limiting diagnoses. e.g. opiate painkillers and anti-nausea medication. Not all medications have a paired known genetic variant. As there is a high rate of prescribing of medications with a known drug-gene interaction for this patient group, it makes sense to do a study in this area.
What Will Participants Be Asked to Do?
· Consent and Blood Sample: If someone decides to participate, they will sign a consent form and provide a blood sample.
· Genetic Analysis: The blood sample will be analysed for genetic changes affecting medication safety and efficacy.
· Medical Data: We will consent participants to collection of routine data from their NHS records, in particular prescribing records.
- Confidentiality - only the core research team will know which study ID links to which patient. The genetic test results will be linked only to a study ID number to protect participant privacy.
- Results - We will not be giving results back to individual patients or clinicians, and there will be no change from standard care for any participant. Instead the results of the genetic test will be used to calculate a drug-gene interaction score, that is how often in a palliative care patient group does an individual possess a pairing of a known genetic variation and has been prescribed the medicine it relates to. This information would help determine the benefit of designing a future trial to alter prescribing patterns based on genetic information.
REC name
London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/LO/0195
Date of REC Opinion
11 Mar 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion