An ontology-based, mobile-optimized system for pharmacogenomic decision support at the point-of-care.
BACKGROUND
The development of genotyping and genetic sequencing techniques and their evolution towards low costs and quick turnaround have encouraged a wide range of applications. One of the most promising applications is pharmacogenomics, where genetic profiles are used to predict the most suitable drugs and drug dosages for the individual patient. This approach aims to ensure appropriate medical treatment and avoid, or properly manage, undesired side effects.


RESULTS
We developed the Medicine Safety Code (MSC) service, a novel pharmacogenomics decision support system, to provide physicians and patients with the ability to represent pharmacogenomic data in computable form and to provide pharmacogenomic guidance at the point-of-care. Pharmacogenomic data of individual patients are encoded as Quick Response (QR) codes and can be decoded and interpreted with common mobile devices without requiring a centralized repository for storing genetic patient data. In this paper, we present the first fully functional release of this system and describe its architecture, which utilizes Web Ontology Language 2 (OWL 2) ontologies to formalize pharmacogenomic knowledge and to provide clinical decision support functionalities.


CONCLUSIONS
The MSC system provides a novel approach for enabling the implementation of personalized medicine in clinical routine.
Section for Medical Expert and Knowledge-Based Systems, Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics, and Intelligent Systems, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Jose Antonio
JA
Miñarro-Giménez
Section for Medical Expert and Knowledge-Based Systems, Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics, and Intelligent Systems, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Kathrin
K
Blagec
Department of Biomedical Informatics; University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Richard D
RD
Boyce
Section for Medical Expert and Knowledge-Based Systems, Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics, and Intelligent Systems, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Medexter Healthcare GmbH, Vienna, Austria.
Klaus-Peter
KP
Adlassnig
Section for Medical Expert and Knowledge-Based Systems, Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics, and Intelligent Systems, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Matthias
M
Samwald
D064229:Biological Ontologies; D040421:Cell Phone; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control; D010597:Pharmacogenetics / Q000379:methods*; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems