Cardiovascular pharmacogenetics of antihypertensive and lipid- lowering therapies.

Recent changes to the clinical management guidelines for hypertension and hyperlipidemia have placed emphasis on prevention through the pharmacological control and reduction of cardiovascular risk factors. In conjunction with proper diet and lifestyle changes, such risk factor control necessitates the use of safe and effective pharmacotherapy. However, many patients fail to reach or maintain therapeutic goals due to inadequacy and/or variability in response to antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medications. Thus, given the contribution of both hypertension and hyperlipidemia in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease, a personalized approach to pharmacotherapy, as well as disease prevention, seems particularly prudent. With the advancement of cardiovascular pharmacogenetics, the aim is to identify genetic biomarkers of drug-response and disease-susceptibility in order to make informed and individualized decisions, improving patient care through proper drug selection and dosing.

Cardiovascular pharmacogenetics of anti-thrombotic agents and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

The use of antithrombotic agents, particularly antiplatelet drugs like aspirin and clopidogrel, has been instrumental in decreasing the risk for adverse cardiovascular events across a wide range of patients. However, despite the established benefits, the use of these medications remains suboptimal. There is a high degree of inter-individual variation in response to these treatments, whereby patients experience occlusive thromboembolic events, in spite of maintaining an appropriate treatment regimen. This has lead to the notion of antithrombotic "resistance" or "poor responders", which has been a growing concern amongst clinicians and other healthcare providers. Compounding this matter even further, reports of increased cardiovascular risk associated with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen, have revealed additional and unforeseen contributors to myocardial infarction and stroke. With all medications, striking a balance between the potential risks and benefits seems more art than science at times. However, given their widespread use and critical cardiovascular implications, further emphasis has been placed on understanding factors influencing antithrombotic and NSAID therapies. A major aim in cardiovascular pharmacogenetics is the discovery of genetic biomarkers that will allow for prospective screening and individualized prediction of drug efficacy and adverse reactions for these medications (both alone and together) within the context of cardiovascular disease.

Characterization of the distinct orthotopic bone-forming activity of 14 BMPs using recombinant adenovirus-mediated gene delivery.

Efficacious bone regeneration could revolutionize the clinical management of bone and musculoskeletal disorders. Although several bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) (mostly BMP-2 and BMP-7) have been shown to induce bone formation, it is unclear whether the currently used BMPs represent the most osteogenic ones. Until recently, comprehensive analysis of osteogenic activity of all BMPs has been hampered by the fact that recombinant proteins are either not biologically active or not available for all BMPs. In this study, we used recombinant adenoviruses expressing the 14 types of BMPs (AdBMPs), and demonstrated that, in addition to currently used BMP-2 and BMP-7, BMP-6 and BMP-9 effectively induced orthotopic ossification when either AdBMP-transduced osteoblast progenitors or the viral vectors were injected into the quadriceps of athymic mice. Radiographic and histological evaluation demonstrated that BMP-6 and BMP-9 induced the most robust and mature ossification at multiple time points. BMP-3, a negative regulator of bone formation, was shown to effectively inhibit orthotopic ossification induced by BMP-2, BMP-6, and BMP-7. However, BMP-3 exerted no inhibitory effect on BMP-9-induced bone formation, suggesting that BMP-9 may transduce osteogenic signaling differently. Our findings suggest that BMP-6 and BMP-9 may represent more effective osteogenic factors for bone regeneration.