The use of medications is common for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. But these are not always effective or can have serious side effects. It may therefore take some time before a doctor finds the right combination between the medication and all the factors that influence the body’s reactions to it, including our genetic background passed down from our parents. Our genes would therefore be a useful information for doctors to better judge the best medication or even the best dose, based on the genetic profile of each patient. Thus, it would be possible to improve the time to achieve the desired effectiveness and avoid side effects. Information about our genes can be obtained through genetic testing, but is, for the most part, not accessible to doctors. So, the goal of this project is to develop a genetic test to help doctors when prescribing a new drug to treat inflammatory bowel disease. The goal is to improve the quality of life of people struggling with ineffectiveness or side effects, but also to have economic benefits for our health system.
User: Isabelle Boulianne (CIUSSS du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean)