On Monday, August 1 at 11 am EST, the Contraceptive Technology Innovation (CTI) Exchange hosted a discussion with pharmacogenomics and contraceptive experts. Pharmacogenomics is an important part of the field of precision medicine, which aims to tailor medical treatment to each person or to a group of people. Pharmacogenomics looks at how your DNA affects the way you respond to drugs. The use of precision medicine to personalize contraceptive choice is extremely exciting but seems almost futuristic. Those working in the field hope that pharmacogenomic methods can one day be used to create personalized predictions about contraceptive efficacy, side effects, and potential non-contraceptive benefits from each contraceptive method prior to use. But, is it possible? How close are scientists to actually making this a reality?
This webinar briefly unpackde the science behind the personalized contraceptive choice, the likelihood and timeline for getting this type of predictive technology into the hands of users and clinicians, and highlighted the work of some key scientists and companies working to make this a reality. The panel was moderated by Megan Christofield, Director & Sr. Technical Advisor for Family Planning at Jhpiego, and speakers included:
• Aaron Lazorwitz, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
• Elena Rueda Carrasco, Dama Health
• Kavita Nanda, Product Development and Introduction, FHI 360