Dr. Hazem Elewa, College of Pharmacy Associate Professor and the Head of Clinical Training at QU, with Zainab Ali, MSc student.
Qatar University (QU) MSc student presented results of novel observational study of genetic and non-genetic factors affecting clopidogrel responsiveness in Qatar.
Zainab Ali, a College of Pharmacy (CPH) MSc student from QU studying clinical pharmacy, conducted a novel observational study of clopidogrel genetics in Qatar in her master’s thesis which was defended recently under the supervision of CPH Associate Professor and the Head of Clinical Training, Dr. Hazem Elewa.
The research entitled “The Effect of CYP2C19 and Non-Genetic Factors on Clopidogrel Responsiveness and Its Impact on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Qatar” aimed to determine the prevalence of CYP2C19 genetic polymorphism in Arabs and to examine the association between the genetic and non-genetic factors and clopidogrel responsiveness in terms of the clinical outcomes. Clopidogrel is a cornerstone antiplatelet drug that is used by millions of patients worldwide especially those suffering from heart attacks.
This is the first study in the Middle East and North Africa region to assess the association between genetic variations in CYP2C19 and the bleeding outcomes. Additionally, it is the first study to report the prevalence of CYP2C19 genetic variants and their associated clinical outcomes in Qatar. The results of this study will add to the literature of clopidogrel genetics generally and especially in Qatar. These results may trigger further studies on clinical implementation of clopidogrel genetics when choosing antiplatelets in the management of acute coronary syndrome.
The project included 204 patients from Hamad Medical Cooperation’s (HMC) Heart Hospital who had acute coronary syndrome and underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. Those patients were followed-up for six months via phone calls and monitoring their medical electronic chart (Cerner). Both bleeding and major adverse cardiovascular outcomes were reported in the study. Zainab presented her work at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) conference in Seattle, Washington in October 2018. She also shared her experience during the ACCP Academy Certificate Program, Precision Medicine: Applied Pharmacogenomics which is a practice-based activity designed to help clinical pharmacists understand how genetic factors influence the efficacy and adverse effects of drug therapy. CPH Head of Research and Graduate Studies Dr. Mohamed Izham, congratulated Zainab and her supervisory team and said, “Graduate students at the College of Pharmacy are expected to conduct quality, novel research in science and has values on the society. The research that was carried out by Zainab is an example.”
CPH Section Head of Clinical Education, Dr. Hazem Elewa, said: “Over the past three years, Zainab was able to successfully complete this distinguished translational project that brings together laboratory and clinical work. She demonstrated great skills in the lab in performing complicated genotyping experiments, in addition to excellent communication skills with patients and healthcare providers. A part of her project was performed in one of the state-of-the-art pharmacogenomics labs in the United States of America at the University of Florida. Zainab’s project may be the first step to changing routine clinical practice of how to choose antiplatelet medications for patients with heart attacks.”
