The Secret to Better Medications: Standardizing Pharmacogenomics (PGx) Testing

Imagine knowing how your body will respond to a medication before you even take it! In this episode, Harsh Thakkar interviews Sarah Rogers, co-founder and president of the American Society of Pharmacovigilance (ASP) and an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M. Together, they dive deep into the fascinating world of pharmacogenomics—how your genetic makeup affects your response to medications. They discuss the challenges of pharmacogenomic testing, real-world examples of adverse drug reactions, and the future of personalized medicine. 


Chapters:

00:00 - Intro
00:16 - Breaking Down Pharmacogenomics
01:39 - Guest Introduction: Sarah Rogers  
02:18 - Explaining Pharmacogenomics to a Child
03:24 - Sarah's Start in Pharmacogenomics  
04:54 - The Power of Pharmacogenomics
07:00 - Pharmacogenomics Clinic at Texas A&M  
09:02 - Challenges of Standardizing PGX Testing
11:14 - The Ideal Pharmacogenomics Workflow
13:39 - Real-World Example of PGX in Action
15:44 - Importance of Integrating PGX into EHR 
20:24 - AI and Digital Twins in Pharmacogenomics
21:52 - Lessons Learned in Pharmacogenomics
24:46 - Looking to the Future of Personalized Medicine
28:18 - Final Takeaway  
30:22 - Outro 


Connect with Sarah Rogers:
- LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-society-of-pharmacovigilance)  
- STRIPE Initiative LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/company/stripe-pharmacogenomics)  
- Twitter: (https://twitter.com/amsocietypharm)  
- Newsletter signup for the American Society of Pharmacovigilance:  https://www.stopadr.org/

Here are links for some of the information that I mentioned during our meeting:
- STRIPE Annual Meeting and Consensus Workshop - (https://www.usp.org/node/289416)
 - Collaborative Communities: Addressing Health Care Challenges Together
(https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/cdrh-strategic-priorities-and-updates/collaborative-communities-addressing-health-care-challenges-together)
- Standardizing Laboratory Practices in Pharmacogenomics (STRIPE) Collaborative Community - (https://stopadr.org/stripe)
- Texas A&M Interprofessional Pharmacogenomics (IPGx) Clinic - (https://ibt.tamu.edu/cores/Texas%20ClinicoGenomics/Texas%20ClinicoGenomics.html)
- National Action Plan for Adverse Drug Event Prevention - (https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/ADE-Action-Plan-508c.pdf)
- Figure showing Stakeholders Involved in the Lifecycle of a Pharmacogenomics Test
(https://www.nature.com/articles/s41397-024-00345-y/figures/1)


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#Pharmacogenomics #PersonalizedMedicine #SarahRogers  #PGX #GeneticMakeup

For transcripts, check out the podcast website - www.lifesciencespod.com