Pharmacogenomics is the study of genetic variability affecting an individual’s response to a drug. Its use allows personalized medicine and reduction in ‘trial and error’ prescribing leading to more efficacious, safer and cost-effective drug therapy. The U-PGx consortium will investigate a pre-emptive genotyping approach (that is: multiple pharmacogenomic variants are collected prospectively and embedded into the patients’ electronic record) of a panel of important pharmacogenomic variants as a new model of personalised medicine. To meet this goal we combine existing pharmacogenomics guidelines and novel health IT solutions. Implementation will be conducted at a large scale in seven existing European health care environments and accounts for the diversity in health system organisations and settings. Feasibility, health outcome and cost-effectiveness will be investigated. We will formulate European strategies for improving clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics based on the findings of this project.

The decision-making in chemotherapy nowadays depends on standard methods that are liquid chromatography (LC-MS/MS) followed by mass spectrometry or capillary electrophoresis; both are labour- and cost-intensive and can be performed only in dedicated hospitals and laboratories. This lead to a minimal therapeutic drug monitoring in patients and hence that 30-60% of drugs are administered without clinical benefits. We propose to develop a point-of-care device for quantification of chemotherapeutic drugs in small body fluid samples by highly selective nanoparticle extraction and liquid crystal detection incorporated in microfluidic lab-on-chip device (optofluidics based) allowing the real-time drug monitoring. This will improve the therapeutic outcome and reduced health care costs.