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DNA Predicts Reaction to Drug That Fights Alcohol Dependence

Submitted by: John Warner on Feb 11, 2008 at 1:44 pm Tagged with: Drug Discovery, Health Care, health services Source: MUSC

MUSC researcher heads study, finds patients with gene variant drink less

CHARLESTON, S.C., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Inherited genetic makeup often
plays a role in determining the risk level for certain diseases, including
alcoholism. Now new evidence-based research also shows a correlation
between genotyping and the treatment of alcohol dependence.

Investigators participating in the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism's 2001-2004 Combined Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral
Interventions for Alcohol Dependence Study (COMBINE Study) have discovered
a direct correlation between patients with the Asp40 allele, a variation of
the receptor gene OPRM1, and the drug naltrexone. Patients with this
variant gene responded positively to the drug that blocks opiate receptors
in the brain thereby reducing gratification from alcohol. Not only did
patients who were treated with naltrexone and have the Asp40 gene variant
go without harmful drinking for a longer period of time, but they also
consumed fewer beverages on the days they did drink.

"For the first time we might have a 'personalized medical treatment'
for alcoholism," said Raymond Anton, M.D., COMBINE Study principal
investigator and director of the Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs at
the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). "Discovery that a common
genetic trait predicts treatment response to a commonly used medication
should enhance its effectiveness and helps focus alcohol treatment in a
cost-effective manner."

These findings provide a viable solution for the 15 to 25 percent of
the population that carry the Asp40 allele. Alcohol counseling did not have
the same affect as the drug, therefore researchers conclude genotyping is
most beneficial without the therapy.

Gene variant carriers of all ethnicities who took naltrexone were more
likely than their counterparts to have a good clinical result. However,
since the study had more Caucasian participants, the results for this group
are the most reliable.

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina
is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the
tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC
educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly
10,000 employees, including 1,300 faculty members. As the largest
non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have
collective annual budgets in excess of $1.3 billion. MUSC operates a
600-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's
Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on
academic information or clinical services, visit http://www.musc.edu or
http://www.muschealth.com.