This finding is a step toward being able to tailor smoking cessation treatment to individuals based on their unique genetic make-up. "This first study identifies a very common genetic variant (present in anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of world populations) that appears to affect the outcome of smoking cessation treatment," said Rachel Tyndale, Section Head of Pharmacogenetics at Center for Addiction and Mental Health and lead researcher on the study.
Researchers say this finding is a step toward being able to personalize cessation treatments by formulating a plan to a specific genetic make-up.
The gene in question researchers focused their efforts on is known as CYP2B6, a gene known to be highly variable and whose enzyme metabolizes bupropion, nicotine and serotonin.
The current study looked only at people of European ancestry, says Tyndale, but she and her colleagues have begun a similar study in African American smokers. They hypothesize that the variant form of the CYP2B6 gene will influence the effectiveness of bupropion treatment and ability to quit smoking in the same way in African Americans as in those of European descent.
