Ryley Uber, Pharm.D. ’18 works collaboratively within a new Pharmacogenomics (PGx) Center of Excellence at University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy that combines expertise and technology in genomics, bioinformatics, implementation science, medication response phenotyping and education. The Center aims to discover and validate medication response predictors in patients, overcome clinical implementation barriers, and demonstrate the value of pre-emptive PGx testing in routine clinical practice. Our long-term project seeks to preemptive genotype over 100,000 consented patients in the western and central Pennsylvania area. This precision medicine initiative will use a new preemptive testing platform from an industry partner (Thermo Fisher Scientific) that evaluates over 4,500 markers within more than 1,000 genes. Pharmacogenomic results will be returned to patients and their providers in order to guide pharmacotherapy.
In addition, Ryley is involved in the PreCISE-Rx program allowing him to implement clinical pharmacogenomics at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center [UPMC] both to deliver superior, cost-effective patient care and to advance understanding of how genetic variation affects medication response. PreCISE-Rx brings together multidisciplinary stakeholders to develop best practices in the clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics-guided decision support, genetic testing, and education. One PreCISE-Rx implementation project that he engages with tests a gene (CYP2C19) in patients with the goal of guiding antiplatelet medication selection after coronary stent placement. Under this state-of-the-art and pharmacist-led service, an alternative medication to the prodrug clopidogrel may be suggested if inappropriate activation and response is predicted from the test. Ryley further reflects, “It is incredibly fulfilling to utilize my knowledge of both pharmacy and genetics to improve patient outcomes.”
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