September 9, 2010 - The University of Pennsylvania has recently received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a major clinical trail which will study how genetic make-up influences a smoker’s quitting success.  This study on the pharmacogenetics of nicotine addiction treatment is being led by Caryn Lerman, PhD, a professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Annenberg Public Policy Center.  While researchers have been previously working on the Pharmacogenetics of Nicotine Addiction Treatment (PNAT) research program, this will be “the first large prospective pharmacogenetic clinical trial of different smoking cessation medications,” explains Dr. Lerman.

Researchers of the PNAT program have identified a biomarker, which they refer to as the nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR).  This biomarker is genetically informed and reflects differences between individuals in relation to nicotine metabolism.  The research team will use this clinical trial to provide evidence that NMR can be used to predict success rates of different smoking cessation treatments for different individuals.

Thirteen hundred and fifty adult smokers will have their NMR assessed and will be placed into two different groups—those who metabolize nicotine slowly and those who metabolize nicotine quickly.  Smokers in each group will then be given randomized treatment with a placebo, nicotine patch, or Chantix (varenicline), and their individual quitting success rates will be determined following each treatment.  The trial is estimated to take approximately four years and will not only assess the success rates of using different treatments for different NMRs, but will also analyze the cost-effectiveness of this personalized smoking cessation approach.

It is hoped that with such a highly personalized approach to smoking cessation, the NMR will help match smokers to the most appropriate cessation treatment and therefore increase quit rates at a reasonable financial cost.

For more information please visit: http://www.health.am/ab/more/grant-for-personalized-smoking-cessation-research/