The College of Pharmacy discussed the PhD dissertation entitled “Assessment of the Effects of KALRN Gene Polymorphism on the Development of Premature Coronary Artery Disease and Response to Antiplatelet Therapy (Aspirin and Clopidogrel) in Iraqi Patients” by the student Mustafa Kazum Mahmood and the supervisor, Professor Dr. Eman Saadi Saleh, at the Clinical Pharmacy Department. The study aimed to explore the relationship between KALRN gene polymorphism and its product, the Kalirin protein, with the development and severity of premature coronary artery disease and also measure the effects of the polymorphism on the response to antiplatelet therapies in a sample of Iraqi patients. The study included the collection of samples from 92 participants divided according to the results of coronary angiography. Genetic analysis and sequencing were carried out in addition to the measurement of kalirin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein serum levels and also testing the platelet activity using light transmission aggregometry. The results showed an association between KALLRN gene polymorphism with the presence and severity of premature coronary artery disease and the possibility of using Kalirin protein levels as a biomarker for the presence and severity of premature coronary artery disease; no association exists between the polymorphism and response to antiplatelet therapy in study participants. The study recommended that further research using a larger sample size is required to identify further genetic mutation associated with the development of premature coronary artery disease, and the possibility of using serum kalirin levels as serum biomarker for the presence and severity of premature coronary artery disease.
