UGT1A1
When you take a medicine (or drug), your body needs to find a way to use it. Some proteins in your body break down (or metabolize) medicines. Breaking down a medicine can make it more active or less active, depending on what kind of medicine you are taking. If your body breaks down a medicine too quickly or too slowly, this may make the medicine not work as well. It may also cause a side effect.
The UGT1A1 gene gives instructions to your body about how to make a protein. It is the job of the UGT1A1 protein to break down certain medicines. An example of this medicine is irinotecan, which is used in the treatment of some cancers.
This is 1 medicine that we know of right now that is impacted by UGT1A1 gene test results. Medical experts keep finding new data about which medicines are affected by gene test results.
By testing your DNA, we can find DNA differences. This can help us to see how well the proteins in your body work to break down certain medicines.
The results of your UGT1A1 gene test put you into 1 of 3 groups:
• Normal metabolizer: People in this group are likely to have normal working UGT1A1 proteins.
• Intermediate metabolizer: People in this group may have reduced activity of UGT1A1 proteins.
• Poor metabolizer: People in this group may have very little or no active UGT1A1 protein.
The results of this test can help your doctor choose the right medicine and dose for you.