Interactions between menopausal hormone therapy and other drugs in polypharmacy (Dr Hannah Currant)
PROJECT TITLE
Interactions between menopausal hormone therapy and other drugs in polypharmacy
SUPERVISORS
DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
Historically, women have been excluded from clinical trials, and to this day only 30% of participants in early-stage industry sponsored trials are women. This has been motivated by concerns about pregnancy risks and impact of hormonal variation on outcome. We therefore see women experiencing adverse drug reactions more than men, as well as having a lack of biological knowledge about pharmacokinetic sex differences and hormone-drug interactions.
Menopause symptoms can have significant impact on patients quality of life and menopausal hormonal therapies offer a set of drugs that can be effective in alleviating such symptoms. Menopause also occurs at a life stage where other common complex comorbidities may also begin to manifest. Therefore it is common that individuals will be taking numerous drugs concurrently - known as polypharmacy. Due to the historic lack of drug testing in women, we have a poor understanding of the impact of hormones on drug efficacy and side effects. This extends to external hormones in the form of hormonal medication. Whilst there are minimal guidelines for clinicians on potential drug interactions with menopausal hormone therapy, few are evidence based.
This project aims to utilise longitudinal electronic healthcare data, including prescription data, in the UK Biobank to identify and investigate drug interactions with menopausal hormone therapy. In this project you will: 1) Identify patterns of drug usage from longitudinal electronic healthcare. 2) Identify associations between menopausal hormone therapy usage and other drugs. 3) Endeavour to understand the biology underlying associations using additional multimodal data including genetics, biochemical values and rich phenotyping.
Together, this project looks to develop a more granular understanding of menopausal hormone therapy in the context of polypharmacy towards a personalised medicine approach.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
- Research training in longitudinal electronic healthcare record analysis, statistics, quantitative genetics and beyond
- Membership to journal clubs and research group meetings to understand current research landscape, cutting edge methodology and interdisciplinary applications
- Skills training in presentation, scientific writing, funding applications and scientific leadership
- Training plans will be developed holistically to benefit the scientific needs and interests, as well as the career goals of the individual.
Funding Information
The position is not currently funded and therefore the candidate will need to secure funding.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for this research degree, please click here.