Sensitivity and specificity testing of a PCR based pharmacogenotyping method for CYP2C9 / Abdullah Qutubuddin Raman

PCR is a special technique used to amplify the DNA sequence of interest. A successful laboratory testing for PCR depends on sensitivity and specificity of PCR method itself. CYP2C9 is an important metabolizing enzyme responsible for 16% of drugs currently available in the market. This enzyme metabolized narrow therapeutic index drug such as warfarin, phenytoin and many others. This study aimed to evaluate a PCR pharmacogenotyping test kit that have been developed by the members of Pharmacogenomic Research laboratory. Two aspects of the kit were evaluated, that was the sensitivity and specificity of the test kit. DNA samples were selected randomly from the DNA bank from the laboratory. Ten DNA samples were selected for specificity test. For sensitivity test, 3 different samples with varying concentration of 0.1 ng to 1000 ng with 10 fold dilution were used. The detection limit was found to be 10 ng of DNA concentration. The kit is able to detect genetic variants of CYP2C9 correctly. Thus, it would be useful to clinician in their attempts to personalize medicine for individual patients.