Roche finds novel drug metabolism prediction model

Swiss drug major Roche says that the May 8 issue of Nature Biotechnology includes a presentation of a new method for analyzing the metabolism of a commonly-prescribed drug, discovered by its R&D team. The firm stated that the use of this mouse genetic analysis method may lead to a better understanding of how drugs are metabolized, which could facilitate more effective individualization of drug selection and dosing regimens in humans.

Roche's research utilized a computational method for mouse genetic analysis to identify factors that regulate the metabolism of warfarin, a widely-used anticoagulant, and quickly identified genetic variants within its metabolizing enzymes that contribute to different drug responses in mice. It also provides valuable information about genes that are likely to play a role in human drug metabolism.

The Basle-headquartered drug major believes that the methodology could be applied to a wide range of medications and help it, as well as others, to better understand drug metabolism and thereby also toxicity.