Pharmacogenomic (PGx) Testing Service

The project wishes to appoint a suitable laboratory or multiple labs to supply an end-to-end genomic testing service which provides genomic variant data for n=4,854 participants in Northern Ireland (NI) and Ireland. Specifically, the areas where the project will recruit participants from of relevance to this tender includes counties Londonderry, Tyrone in Northern Ireland and counties Donegal and Sligo in Ireland.

The iMPROVE project will operate on the basis of a research implementation study which aims to integrate pharmacogenomic testing into a patient-centred medicines optimisation care pathway in GP practices across the project regions. The new integrated care pathway will be led by GP practice pharmacists with a focus on medicines optimisation to improve outcomes, removing inappropriate and ineffective treatments and adverse drug event risk reduction.

Medications for pain, depression, anxiety and cardiovascular disease are the most prescribed drugs which also display considerable variation in efficacy, in part due to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes which can alter efficient drug metabolism. A laboratory service is required to transport participant samples from GP sites, test for a finite list of SNPs which alter the rate of metabolism of a constrained list of prescribed medications including opioids, SSRI’s, PPI’s, statins and Clopidgrel.