Recently, a new variant of CYP2C19 has been identified which has enhanced function.10 Patients who are homozygous for this new allele are less likely to respond to 2C19 substrate medications at standard doses. The identification of ultrarapid 2C19 metabolizers can be helpful in evaluating patients who do

not respond to standard doses of any of these psychotropic medications. The cytochrome P450 2C9 gene (CYP2C9) CYP2C9 is located on chromosome 10 in relative close proximity to CYP2C19. However, it is only about half the size of CYP2C9 as it consists of 50 708 nucleotides. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Like CYP2C19, CYP2C9 codes for an enzyme that contains 490 amino acids. CYP2C9 is a drug-metabolizing enzyme gene that is less routinely genotyped to identify the increased or decreased metabolic capacity Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of psychiatric patients for 2C9 substrate medications. It does not play a primary role in the metabolism of any currently prescribed psychotropic medications. However, the 2C9 enzyme provides the only secondary pathway for the metabolism of fluoxetine, so patients who are poor metabolizers of both 2D6 substrates and 2C9 substrates are at very high risk for adverse effects if treated with standard dose

of fluoxetine. The cytochrome P450 1A2 gene (CYP1A2) CYP1A2 Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical is a less well-studied drug-metabolizing enzyme gene, but it codes for an enzyme that plays an important role in the metabolism of fluvoxamine. It is also involved in the metabolism of duloxetine and olanzapine. CYP1A2 is located on chromosome 15 and consists of 7758 nucleotides. CYP1A2 codes for an enzyme that is composed of 516 amino acids. A somewhat atypical aspect of the CYP1 A2 gene is that there are alleles of this gene that are inducible by smoking tobacco or consuming cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage or Brussels sprouts. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Consequently, patients who smoke tobacco and have two alleles of CYP1A2 that are inducible by their smoking can be difficult to maintain on 1A2 substrate medications. A relatively

common problem occurs when these patients are treated with selleck chemicals olanzapine or clozapine on an inpatient psychiatric unit that does not allow them to smoke. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical When they begin to smoke after they are discharged, their serum level drops and their psychotic aminophylline symptoms often reoccur. In some populations of European ancestry, as many as 25% of the population can have an inducible ultrarapid CYP1A2 phenotype. Pharmacogenomic testing to identify variability in pharmacodynamic responses A goal of individualized molecular psychopharmacology is to identify medications for an individual patient that will not only be safe, but will be effective. Progress in making predictions of medication response has occurred, and while the goal of being able to predict this response with certainty has not been achieved, we can make increasingly accurate probabilistic predictions of the likelihood of response. Psychiatrists are familiar with this limitation.