MRC DTP in Precision Medicine

Designing Equitable Precision Prescribing Pathways: A Life Course Health Economic Evaluation of Pharmacogenomic-Guided Care and NHS Implementation Models

Supervisors

Prof Sandosh Padmanabhan, School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health, University of Glasgow
Prof Emma McIntosh, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow

Summary

This PhD will explore how pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing—using a patient’s genetic profile to guide prescribing—can personalise treatment, improve drug safety, treatment effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and overall NHS efficiency. While PGx is increasingly recognised as a cornerstone of precision medicine, key questions remain: when should testing occur, how should it be delivered, and how can it be implemented fairly across the population?

Using data from the UKRI–Industry co-funded PHOENIX trial (one of the largest PGx randomised clinical trials in hospital patients) and population-level analyses from the Scotland’s Safe Haven, you will model both reactive and pre-emptive PGx strategies. The project will compare delivery models—hospital-based, GP-led, community pharmacy–led, and hybrid—assessing cost-effectiveness, operational feasibility, and impacts on health inequalities.

Working with an interdisciplinary supervisory team in pharmacogenomics and health economics, you will gain advanced skills in decision-analytic modelling, microsimulation, and the analysis of large, linked health datasets, alongside understanding of NHS service delivery and policy translation. Your findings will directly inform the NHS pharmacogenomics implementation roadmap, guiding cost-effective and equitable precision prescribing for the right patient, in the right setting, at the right time.