London - People from different races have genetic variations that affect the way they respond to medicines, scientists said yesterday. Scientists discovered a particular genetic variant that determines how well a person responds to cancer drugs, as well as other kinds of treatment.
It is thought to explain why people of African descent can be less responsive to chemotherapy than Caucasians and Asians. The gene affects production of a protein called Pglycoprotein, or PGP, which acts as a molecular pump that rids cells of drugs.
In some individuals PGP pumps chemotherapy drugs out of tumours too effectively, allowing the tumour cells to survive and creating drug resistance. In others, the PGP pump is less efficient and allows drugs to enter and kill the tumour. The international team of researchers led by Prof Howard McLeod, from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, US, carried out DNA tests on 1,280 people with 10 different ethnic backgrounds.