For the past four years, myDNA and Gene by Gene have had the privilege of collaborating with Professor Padmanabhan and his team at the University of Glasgow’s Living Laboratory. Together, we have been supporting the Phoenix Trial—the largest clinical trial in pharmacogenomics (PGX) of its kind—designed not only to demonstrate clinical efficacy but also to prove the economic benefit of PGx for healthcare systems.
As Professor Padmanabhan noted:
“The science of pharmacogenomics is not new—the term was coined in the 1950s, and its principles date back over 2,500 years to Pythagoras’ warning against fava beans (now linked to G6PD deficiency). Despite decades of proven science, the healthcare industry has struggled to implement PGx at scale. Our shared focus is turning that science into accessible, routine care.”
The Future
Implementing PGx will be transformative. Once PGx is integrated into healthcare infrastructure and fully adopted, it becomes part of standard healthcare for patients. From the patients perspective, they understand that their treatment is personalised for them, doctors have more confidence in patients’ safety to prescribe appropriate medications and policy makers improve health outcomes with an economic benefit.