Developing Addiction/Pain Management Genotyping Test

Genetic factors play a key role in addiction and pain but are generally not evaluated in clinical practice. Some people who experience chronic pain are genetically predisposed to neurochemical deficiencies. A greater susceptibility to Prescription Drug Dependence (PDD) has been seen in pain patients. Physicians fail to control pain in roughly 60% of patients taking narcotic pain medication even as they increase the dosage and potency. The goal of this project was the design and testing of an Addiction/Pain Management (APM) genotyping test (Research Use Only) to be used as a screening tool for physicians to personalize treatment. This assay is based on mutations which have been utilized not only in diagnosis but also in individual treatment procedures. For PCR and ASPE (asymmetric primer extension) reactions, primers were designed for 16 analytes and tested for their effectiveness in detecting mutations using the AutoGenomics, Inc. assay format. Results from these experiments demonstrated that 15 out of 16 pairs (wild/mutant types) of analytes worked. Only the DRD4 analyte lacked significant signals. Due to the potential interference between the DRD4 and 5HT2A analytes redesigning the DRD4 forward and reverse PCR primers will be considered. Following optimization, the APM test will be subjected to alpha testing. Once completed, the assay should provide better information regarding patients’ pain management and medication/drug addiction than is currently available.