THE FUTURE OF THERAPYGENETICS:WHERE WILL STUDIES PREDICTING PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENT RESPONSE FROM GENOMIC MARKERS LEAD?

摘要

Therapygenetics refers to the prediction of psychological therapy outcomes from genetic markers. Our team first coined this term when publishing pilot work on this topic showing that that children with two copies of the short allele at the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism, previously associated with differential sensitivity to the environment, was associated with improved outcome following cognitive-behaviour therapy for anxiety disorders.~([1]) The term reflects the close parallel with pharmacogenetics, the more established field in which genetic markers are used to predict outcomes of pharmacological treatments. Therapygenetics research has begun to gather momentum. In this editorial, I will outline some exciting ways in which therapygenetics is likely to develop that are relevant both for researchers and clinicians.