NPISTANBUL Hospital brings a contemporary approach that takes into account individual differences in psychiatric treatment into clinical practice. Pharmacogenetics-based personalized treatment models are integrated with molecular psychiatry to offer more effective, safe and individualized solutions to patients.
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With the advances in molecular biology, genetic analysis technologies and advanced imaging methods in psychiatry, personalized treatment is no longer just a vision, but a reality in practice. NPISTANBUL Hospital, one of the leading institutions in this transformation, analyzes the effects of psychiatric drugs according to individual genetic profiles through the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Laboratory and shapes treatment plans in line with this data.
The Future Starts Here
Üsküdar University Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that these studies carried out by NPISTANBUL Hospital at the molecular level shape not only today's but also tomorrow's understanding of treatment, "These studies, which are compatible with international publication platforms, contribute greatly to better management of diseases, prediction of treatment responses and increasing patient safety."
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, who stated that they are currently in a position to initiate many firsts in this regard in Turkey considering the laboratory infrastructure, said: "We preferred neuroscience as an important R&D focus, especially since we focused on behavioral sciences in the field of health as a theme in the establishment of the university. Our application and science partner NPISTANBUL Hospital is a part of these studies. It gives us serious support in applying the latest treatment methods. The Faculty of Medicine is the same way. We also have laboratory infrastructures that enable studies on neuroscience and neurogenetics. We have started initiatives for a laboratory where we can carry out stem cell studies."
Noting that they work in a multidisciplinary field related to brain sciences, that is, neurosciences, computer sciences and other psychological sciences, Tarhan said, "Therefore, at the time of the first establishment of the university, we opened the departments of computer, software engineering, bio engineering, molecular biology and genetics in Turkish and English in the first year, and gave graduates. Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, bio engineers and molecular biology - genetics graduates who graduated from our university became seriously sought-after employees. They found job opportunities everywhere. Currently, PCR test is applied at the door at the entrance to many institutions. It gives results within 1 - 1.5 hours and if it is not done, they do not let them in. We gave importance and priority to this field because we envisioned it as the profession of the future. Our young people have also benefited from this."
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: "If psychiatrists stay in place, they will also lose schizophrenia"
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that as a university, they have chosen neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, autism in the field of R&D and warned psychiatry specialists by stating that many psychiatric diseases are now examined by neurologists: "We cannot say that schizophrenia is not a neurodegenerative disease at the moment. Especially the connectomes related to the disease in the brain have started to be understood. Maybe in 5-10 years, we will say that instead of schizophrenia, we will say that the brain has this connectome disorder. We will say that there is an inability to speak in this part of the brain or that part of the brain. We will not say depression or bipolar, but the diagnosis will be based on pathology. Currently in psychiatry, the diagnosis is made descriptively based on classification, not pathology. Neurologists are more interested in autism and schizophrenia at the moment. If psychiatrists remain in the same place, they will entrust schizophrenia to behavioral neurologists and autism to child neurologists, just as they did with Alzheimer's. It is necessary to know this. If they do not follow the innovation in neuroscience, the psychiatrist will be left with only depression, and then psychiatry may be reduced to a specialization in depression. There is now a lot of evidence that depression is a disease of the forebrain. Therefore, if psychiatry and psychology professionals are clinicians and want to touch a patient, they have to know the brain. It is unethical to give a psychology diploma to a person without basic brain knowledge."
Stating that they have opened a Neuromarketing Master's Program for the first time in Turkey as a university, Tarhan said that they have strategic goals related to neuroscience and added, "Our publications on this subject have increased considerably at a certain point. We have also created a structure related to R&D and innovative policies in order to conduct more research and receive TUBITAK projects. It is very important to be a part of international projects."
Molecular Psychiatry and Genetic Compatibility: Bringing the Scientific Future to Today
As underlined in internationally respected scientific publications such as Molecular Psychiatry, today, studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms at the biological level are revolutionizing the treatment of psychiatric disorders. In response to this scientific paradigm, NPISTANBUL Hospital offers individualized treatment programs supported by pharmacogenetic tests to patients.
CYP2D6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2C19, CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 genotyping performed in the laboratory of NPISTANBUL Hospital guides the treatment by revealing the most critical genetic variations affecting drug metabolism. In addition, polymorphisms in genes associated with neuropsychiatric effects such as 5HTT and COMT are also analyzed to optimize antidepressant and antipsychotic treatments.
Personalized Psychiatric Treatment: Trial-and-error Era Leaves Behind
Thanks to pharmacogenetic testing, we can now answer these questions at the genetic level:
- Which drug will this patient respond to?
- Which dose is most appropriate for him/her?
- Which side effects are at high risk?
- Which drug combinations are safe?
Scientific answers to these questions make the treatment process faster, more effective and safer, freeing it from the cycle of trial and error. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) methods applied in our laboratory and phenotyping studies with probe drugs enable the establishment of genotype-phenotype correlation and direct treatment at the biological level.
Clinical Pharmacogenetics Laboratory: Scientific Infrastructure, Clinical Impact
The Medical Genetics and Molecular Diagnosis Laboratory, which was realized in cooperation with NPISTANBUL Hospital and Üsküdar University, offers the following opportunities with its advanced device infrastructure and expert staff:
- DNA/RNA isolation
- Conventional PCR, RFLP, sequence analysis and Real-time PCR
- Gene expression analysis
- Phenotyping and drug level monitoring
Thanks to this comprehensive infrastructure, treatment approaches tailored to the individual nature of psychiatric disorders are developed. Side effects that may occur during treatment can be predicted in advance, increasing medication safety and patient satisfaction.
Increasing Importance of Individualized Treatment in Psychiatry
The understanding of "personalized medicine", which is spreading rapidly in the world, is becoming more and more popular in the treatment of psychiatric diseases, bringing positive changes in patient outcomes. NPISTANBUL Hospital, as one of the pioneers of this transformation in Turkey, leads molecular psychiatry with its scientific-based, ethical and patient-oriented approach.
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https://npistanbul.com/klinik-farmakogenetik-laboratuvari
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https://npistanbul.com/psikiyatri
Creator: NP Istanbul Hospital Editorial Board
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