Tanenbaum Centre for Pharmacogenetics

Tanenbaum Centre for Pharmacogenetics

The Tanenbaum Centre for Pharmacogenetics was established in 2012 through the support of Larry and Judy Tanenbaum, the Government of Ontario, and other generous donors. We are proud to represent CAMH as a world-leader in gene-guided treatments for mental health and addictions. Our researchers have spent the last decade developing a better understanding of how each individual’s genetics influence the way they will respond to each of the antidepressants and antipsychotics approved by Health Canada. 

Precision and personalized medicine require knowledge of biological mechanisms and causes. We, therefore, investigate the neurobiology of the brain systems involved in all major psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, suicide, and anxiety.

Until now, the prescribing of medications for complex neuropsychiatric disorders has been largely a trial-and-error process. For antidepressant, antipsychotic, and mood stabilizer drugs, it takes weeks or months to determine if the treatment is successful or not. For depression, 50% of patients will not respond to the first medication. We use measurement of specific DNA variations in genes for drug targets and metabolism to provide valuable information for prediction of response and side effects in a given individual patient. This science of pharmacogenomics has been steadily improving in parallel with the technology for rapid accurate sequencing, documentation of DNA variants, and understanding their functional effects.

Watch the video below to learn more:

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