Published in Neuron, the international research found that differences in a gene known as RUNX1 affect how individuals respond to opioids, including how well the drugs reduce pain, how much medication is needed, and the likelihood of side effects such as withdrawal symptoms and dependence. Lead investigator Dr. Tuan Trang, PhD, a professor at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM), explained that recognizing patients who are unlikely to respond well to opioids, or who may be more vulnerable to dependence, could allow clinicians to make earlier decisions about alternative pain treatments, closer follow-up, or dose adjustments.

The team analyzed genetic data from patients who underwent jaw and abdominal surgeries and found that some RUNX1 variants were linked to higher opioid requirements, while others were associated with more intense withdrawal. First author and pediatric neurology resident Dr. Heather Leduc-Pessah said the findings reflect the growing importance of tailoring medical care to a patient’s genetic profile.

Orthopedic surgeon and CSM clinical professor Dr. Paul Salo said clinicians have long observed unpredictable opioid responses and that genetic screening could reduce complications and improve safety. Together with laboratory findings, the study points toward more individualized and cautious opioid prescribing.

A new gene may be responsible for people becoming severely ill with COVID-19, say Polish scientists from the Medical University of Bialystok. The gene was the fourth most important factor determining how seriously a person suffers from COVID-19, after age, weight, and gender.

The gene is present in around 14% of the Polish population, compared to 8-9% in Europe as a whole and 27% in India, said Marcin Moniuszko, the professor in charge of the research.

The scientists are hopeful this discovery would help medical professionals identify people who are most at risk as well as encourage vaccinations and access to more intensive treatment options in case(s) of an infection.

Polish Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said: “After more than a year and a half of work it was possible to identify a gene responsible for a predisposition to becoming seriously ill (with coronavirus). This means that in the future we will be able to […] identify people with a predisposition to suffer seriously from COVID-19.”

Genetic factors play an increasingly important role in how seriously COVID-19 develops – last November, British scientists said they had identified a version of a gene that may be associated with double the risk of lung failure from COVID-19.

Read: COVID-19 virus can trigger persistent, self-damaging immune response

Researchers have discovered why some anti-cancer drugs become less effective. They have found a mutation in a gene that makes some cancer drugs less effective, as well as a solution to tackle this problem. Led by Assoc. Prof. Ong Sin Tiong of Duke-NUS graduate medical school, the team of researchers found that specific drugs to combat specific types of lung and blood cancers did not work well in patients with the mutated gene. This mutation appears in about 15% of East Asians, and to a lesser extent in other Asians, but is completely absent in Caucasians and Africans.
To address this problem, the team has developed another additional drug that is currently not commercially available. Clinical and full-scale human trials are still underway to test the new medicine. Findings of this research have been published in Nature Medicine – one of the leading biomedical journals.