Poster Session #2: UC Ballroom
Breast Cancer Enzyme CYP1B1 Polymorphisms in Salish Kootenai Ethnicities
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Mark Pershouse
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Metabolic enzymes are important in determining the effectiveness of a medication because they can either activate or deactivate the drug. However, enzymatic activity varies amongst individuals due to differences in genetic makeup. Pharmacogenetics, a branch of research that investigates how effective a drug is based on an individual’s genetic makeup, has been applied to some but not all ethnicities. The Salish Kootenai tribe of western Montana is one such group. My study focuses on establishing the variant frequencies in a specific DNA segment that codes for an enzyme (cytochrome P450-CYP1B1), which hydroxylates chemicals correlated to breast cancer. Salish Kootenai blood samples were tested in a three-step procedure consisting of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a digest using the Acu1 enzyme, and gel electrophoresis. The results of this analysis showed the frequencies at which homozygous wild type, heterozygous, and homozygous variants occurred across the population. This data will determine the proportion of the Salish Kootenai population with an active CYP1B1 enzyme and non-active CYP1B1 enzyme. Clinically applied, physicians will be able to tailor prescriptions with the highest chance of success to individual breast cancer patients based on that patient’s particular CYP1B1 activity.
Breast Cancer Enzyme CYP1B1 Polymorphisms in Salish Kootenai Ethnicities
UC Ballroom
Metabolic enzymes are important in determining the effectiveness of a medication because they can either activate or deactivate the drug. However, enzymatic activity varies amongst individuals due to differences in genetic makeup. Pharmacogenetics, a branch of research that investigates how effective a drug is based on an individual’s genetic makeup, has been applied to some but not all ethnicities. The Salish Kootenai tribe of western Montana is one such group. My study focuses on establishing the variant frequencies in a specific DNA segment that codes for an enzyme (cytochrome P450-CYP1B1), which hydroxylates chemicals correlated to breast cancer. Salish Kootenai blood samples were tested in a three-step procedure consisting of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a digest using the Acu1 enzyme, and gel electrophoresis. The results of this analysis showed the frequencies at which homozygous wild type, heterozygous, and homozygous variants occurred across the population. This data will determine the proportion of the Salish Kootenai population with an active CYP1B1 enzyme and non-active CYP1B1 enzyme. Clinically applied, physicians will be able to tailor prescriptions with the highest chance of success to individual breast cancer patients based on that patient’s particular CYP1B1 activity.