Tanenbaum Centre for Pharmacogenetics

A Rich History

Toronto has a rich history in pharmacogenetics. In the 1950s, University of Toronto Professor Werner Kalow was a pioneer in establishing pharmacogenetics, a new discipline at that time, based at the intersection of pharmacology and genetics. CAMH became a leader in psychiatric pharmacogenetics, opening one of the world’s first Pharmacogenetics Research Clinics for mental illness in 2008.

The Tanenbaum Centre for Pharmacogenetics was established in 2012, with the philanthropic support of Larry and Judy Tanenbaum. As part of the flagship IMPACT study that followed, more than 10,000 patients referred by over 3,000 clinicians across Ontario have completed pharmacogenetics testing through CAMH. (See a video from the launch of the IMPACT study to physicians in primary care.)

In 2013, CAMH and Assurex Health, a global leader in personalized medicine, partnered in a joint venture with the goal of bringing gene-guided treatment to more Canadians. (See recent research into the benefits of genetic testing in treating major depression, presented by Assurex Health earlier this year.)

Research Focus

• Identifying new genetic and epigenetic variants involved in treatment response and side-effects to antipsychotics, antidepressants and mood stabilizers

• Design new, improved diagnostic psychiatric pharmacogenetic variant testing panels for patients who have been prescribed, or will be prescribed, antipsychotic and/or antidepressant medication

• Determining the frequencies of known pharmacogenetic variants in two Ontario First Nations populations in collaboration with CAMH’s Institute for Mental Health Policy Research

• Development of a computerized search of electronic medical records, along with artificial intelligence processing, to rapidly track the response and development of side-effects in our study participants.