The College of Pharmacy discussed the PhD dissertation entitled “Study the Association of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha Promoter Region Gene and Interleukin-1-Beta Gene Polymorphism with Etanercept Response in Iraqi Patients with Psoriasis” by the student Abeer Kadhim Jumaah and the supervisor, Assistant Professor Dr. Fadya Yaqoob Al-Hamadani, at the Clinical Pharmacy Department, with consultant Dr. Ali Fadhil Obaid at the Center of Dermatology in Medical City as second supervisor.
The study aimed to identify genetic and immunological markers that predict the response to etanercept among Iraqi patients with psoriasis, and to evaluate the impact of etanercept therapy on patients’ quality of life.
The study included patients with psoriasis who received etanercept therapy. They were divided into two groups according to their response to treatment based on the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). Patients who achieved ≤50% improvement were considered non-responders, whereas those who achieved at least 75% improvement from baseline were classified as responders. Patients were recruited from the Dermatology and Venereology Center at Baghdad Teaching Hospital in Baghdad between April 2024 and February 2025. Genomic DNA was extracted, and genetic polymorphisms in the promoter regions of the TNF-α and IL-1β genes were identified using polymerase chain reaction followed by Sanger sequencing, In addition, patients’ quality of life was assessed using the Arabic version of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI).
The results showed that the presence of the GA genotype of the rs673 polymorphism and the CC genotype of the rs752338864 polymorphism was associated with a higher likelihood of response to etanercept therapy. Their combined presence further strengthened this association, suggesting their potential use as genetic biomarkers for predicting treatment response among Iraqi patients with psoriasis. In contrast, the rs673 GG genotype, either alone or in combination with the rs752338864 CG genotype, was associated with a higher likelihood of non-response, making it a potential genetic marker for predicting lack of response to therapy. Furthermore, improvement in disease severity was directly associated with improvement in patients’ quality of life.
The study recommended conducting broader and long-term future research to confirm the impact of these genetic polymorphisms on the therapeutic response to etanercept, with an expanded sample size that includes a larger number of patients from different medical centers.
