Published on June 24, 2005

The key to success in pharmacogenomics is a good IT system.

Here is the final part of a series showing how IT systems can assist in managing and analysing relevant data to support individualised medical treatment.

Healthcare is about to get much better, thanks to pharmacogenomics. It combines pharmacology – the field of medicines – with genomics – the science of genomes (the genetic material found in your body) to create medications designed for your own genetic requirements.

Pharmacogenomics will be a tremendous leap forward in healthcare. Each person is different, so with pharmacogenomics you’ll benefit from “individualised medicine” prescribed to your exact requirements, greatly reducing the risk of adverse reactions to medications. Drug companies can mine the wealth of accumulated health data about Thai people to bring a greater variety of medications to market faster and at a lower cost. Health officials can detect trends and vectors using the most up-to-date nationwide information. Thailand will have the potential to become a life-sciences hub, as it takes the lead in the biotechnology sector.

Visits to hospitals, clinics and doctors across this country of 65 million generates immense volumes of health transaction data. The key to success in pharmacogenomics is harnessing this flow of data, from collection and storage to analysis and distribution, and being able to tap into the knowledge and insights it contains. This requires as a foundation an IT system made up of partners from such industries as information technology, pharmaceutics, imaging, medical devices and biotechnology all contributing core technologies, resources and expertise.

A pharmacogenomics IT system must bring together data from Thai hospitals and clinics, such as medical histories, disease diagnostics, treatment histories, discharge details, outcomes, clinical samples, DNA profiles and gene/protein expressions. The result is terabytes of both structured and unstructured data that must be properly managed and analysed. The system is designed and optimised to accelerate genomics, genetics and proteomics research and new methods and rhythms for managing and integrating large, disparate data sets from clinical and research systems. The information contained in the pharmacogenomics IT system could then be combined with related data from a variety of medical and health-related research disciplines to support the development of medicines.

Let’s take a more detailed look at the pharmacogenomics information-management process. We’ll start with the system’s foundation – the standard for sending data across various hospital systems and the database that keeps track of the information.

In today’s world, the current standard for sending data across various healthcare systems is Health Level 7 (HL7). This is used globally to transmit patients’ clinical information.

Next, a foundation to keep the information together. This is the database and data model. The difference between the database and the data model is the database provides a place to store raw data, and the data model is a defined filing system for data. Hence, a good data model for healthcare allows for the simplified tracking and retention of patient information.

Oracle also has a Healthcare Transaction Base (HTB), which provides both a defined data model and HL7compliance. The platform is designed for the healthcare industry and supports data consolidation, rapid application development and interoperability among different systems. During the project, the Oracle HTB will be extended to include the necessary genomic extensions that are needed to enable pharmacogenomics.

At its core, a pharmacogenomics system consists of programmes, data schemes, visualisation tools and user interfaces that form the core of the monitoring and tracking system itself. The pharmacogenomics system architecture comprises the central database, legacy data integration and Internet access.

On the front end, medical practitioners and researchers access the system through an Internet-based portal and receive a common view of the data based on security rules stored in the database. Information is provided using a standard Web browser to ensure broad, low-cost access to the pharmacogenomics IT system with high levels of security. Some of the features supported include file sharing, unified messaging, database entry, flexible reporting, a Geographic Information System and distance learning.

A mobile data interface is also built to ensure that the pharmacogenomics IT system is available to users who don’t have access to a dial-up or broadband Internet connection. It supports wireless connection by devices like PDA, GSM, GPRS and CDMA handsets and WiFi devices, to allow access to medical practitioners and government officials doing fieldwork or responding to situations in areas that may be under quarantine, for example.

System management will be critical for the large and complex pharmacogenomics IT system as it helps administer and monitor applications and systems that make up the pharmacogenomics IT system.

To ensure the most cost-effective and efficient use of computing resources, the pharmacogenomics IT system can incorporate grid computing. This will allow various computing resources across Thailand to be pooled into a single “virtual” computer that analyses demand and adjusts supply accordingly. Grid computing will reduce the overall cost of the project.

With a solid technology foundation, the pharmacogenomics IT system will make the vision of using pharmacogenomics to benefit everyone in Thailand a reality while strengthening the country’s position as a life-sciences hub.

Natasak Rodjanapiches is managing director of Oracle Corporation (Thailand).

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