DruGeVar: An Online Resource Triangulating Drugs with Genes and Genomic Biomarkers for Clinical Pharmacogenomics

Abstract

Background/Aims: Pharmacogenomics aims to rationalize drug use by minimizing drug toxicity and/or by increasing drug efficacy. A large number of genomic markers have been correlated with variable drug responses and severity of adverse drug reactions. Although a number of these drugs bear pharmacogenomic information in their labels - approved by regulatory agencies - and comprehensive drug/gene lists exist online, information related to the respective pharmacogenomic biomarkers is currently missing from such lists. Methods: We extracted information from the published literature and online resources and developed DruGeVar (http://drugevar.genomicmedicinealliance.org), an online resource triangulating drugs with genes and pharmacogenomic biomarkers in an effort to build a comprehensive database that could serve clinical pharmacogenomics. Results and Conclusions: A user-friendly data querying and visualization interface allows users to formulate simple and complex queries. Such a database would be readily applicable as a stand-alone resource or a plug-in module for other databases.

Pharmacogenomics in the clinic

“…103–105 The Genomic Medicine Alliance (http://www.genomicmedicinealliance.org/) 106 facilitates the clinical use of pharmacogenomics and has created a database linking drugs with genes. 107 Population admixture in diverse populations must also be considered in global efforts for clinical implementation. 108 …”

Expanded national database collection and data coverage in the FINDbase worldwide database for clinically relevant genomic variation allele frequencies

“…However, although comprehensive drug-gene lists exist online in both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA; www.fda.gov) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA; www.ema.europa.eu), information related to the respective PGx biomarkers is currently missing from such lists (16). We have previously extracted information from the published literature and online resources and developed a comprehensive database, namely DruGeVar (http://drugevar.genomicmedicinealliance.org; 17), which triangulates drugs with genes and PGx biomarkers that could serve clinical PGx. DruGeVar has been developed in such way to be readily applicable as a standalone resource or a plug-in module for other databases documenting relevant information.…”

Application of the DruGeVar Database in Cancer Genomics and Pharmacogenomics

“…This becomes a tricky situation that often confuses code developers for making the right choice. DruGeVar (http://www.genomicmedicinealliance.org/working-groups/pharmacogenomics/80-genomic-medicinealliance/137-drugevar-database) [11] is a comprehensive database that triangulates drugs-genes-pharmacogenomic (PGx) biomarkers with the aim of serving clinical pharmacogenomics. DruGeVar has been developed to be either a database plug-in module or a standalone resource [12] .…”

“…Database records include the drug, the gene name, and its genomic variation parameters (in the official db-SNP [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/SNP], Human Genome Variation Society [http://www.hgvs.org], and star allele nomenclatures), linked to the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM; http://www.omim. org) and PharmGKB entries [11] .…”