Member Daniel Hertz, associate professor of pharmacy (University of Michigan College of Pharmacy) is highlighted in this Michigan Medicine Health Lab piece, sharing how Hertz utilized Precision Health’s Michigan Genomics Initiative data to help cancer patients.

A routine blood test can determine when a genetic anomaly puts someone at high risk of dangerously toxic side effects from a common chemotherapy. But with no clinical guidelines or requirements to test for the gene, uptake has been limited.

Hertz and colleagues developed a monitoring system using a research genetics program to trigger alerts about cancer patients suspected to have the DPYD gene variant.

The team set up an alert system to notify when those patients were about to be prescribed fluorouracil or capecitabine. When an alert came, the study team reached out to the oncologist to confirm the treatment plan and ask patients to consider clinical DPYD testing. “We got a ping on the very first day,” Hertz said.

In two years, the system triggered 57 notifications. “We want all clinicians to order testing because we think evidence supports this. The Michigan Genomics Initiative is a novel use of existing genetic data at U-M. We know these patients exist. This was a straightforward way to identify potential carriers and intervene,” Hertz said. Fellow study authors include Amy Pasternak, Brett Vanderwerff and more.

Read more here: https://www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/monitoring-program-flags-cancer-patients-risk-highly-toxic-chemotherapy-side-effects