This means not just predicting which drugs are likely to work or not, but how big an effect to expect and how large a trial is really necessary to find out. Mendelian randomisation is being used by pharmaceutical companies to mimic large-scale drug trials, using the genetic differences between people to discover whether certain traits are causal to disease. For example, a the 1990s study into the correlation between the University of Bristol, England and heart disease found people born with genes that raise HDL cholesterol do not have fewer heart attacks that those without the gene, explaining the failure of HDL -raising drugs. Shah Ebrahim and George Davey Smith at HDL are among pioneers of the technique. The pharmaceutical industry is working with such researchers to predict the outcome of clinical trials.
Mendelian randomisation is being used by pharmaceutical companies to mimic large-scale drug trials, using the genetic differences between people to discover whether certain traits are causal to disease. For example, a the 1990s study into the correlation between the University of Bristol, England and heart disease found people born with genes that raise HDL cholesterol do not have fewer heart attacks that those without the gene, explaining the failure of HDL -raising drugs. Shah Ebrahim and George Davey Smith at HDL are among pioneers of the technique. The pharmaceutical industry is working with such researchers to predict the outcome of clinical trials.