Article on the variations of a gene according to the ethnicity of the patient having an impact on the reaction to a drug published in the journal “Nature” on 3 March 2021

A recent publication in the prestigious scientific journal “Nature” (To the Article) by researchers supported by CANSEARCH focuses on the variations of the GSTA1 gene according to the ethnicity of the patient and their impact on the metabolization of a drug, Busulfan, used before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation during the treatment of leukaemia in children. The results of the study confirmed that there is a significant difference in the distribution of these important GSTA1 gene variations among human populations in Africa, South and East Asia, Europe, and America. Therefore, it has been shown that all patients, regardless of their ethnic origin, should benefit from accurate genotyping of GSTA1 gene variations prior to any administration of Busulfan in order to optimize the treatment outcome.

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