Pharmacogenetic Supported Prescribing in Kids (PGx-SParK)

May 11, 2026 updated by: Chad Bousman, University of Calgary
Implementation of pharmacogenetic testing for children and adolescents aged 6-24 who are starting or changing psychiatric medication.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Children with moderate to severe mental health conditions (e.g. depression, anxiety, OCD) or neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorders, ADHD) are frequently prescribed medications as either the sole form of treatment or in combination with psychotherapy. However, up to 50% of these children will not respond or experience burdensome adverse drug reactions to these medications. Current use of mental health-related medications (e.g., antidepressants, antipsychotics) in children can be best described as a trial-and-error process that can impact the well-being of those taking the medications and their families at a considerable economic cost. However, this trial-and-error process could, in part, be avoided through the application of pharmacogenetic testing, a specific type of genetic testing that has the potential to improve drug efficacy and reduce the morbidity, mortality and cost associated with adverse drug reactions. The aim of this project is to implement and evaluate an evidence-based pharmacogenetic testing service to improve drug treatment outcomes in children receiving mental health care.

Our objectives are to:

  1. Implement Canada's first pharmacogenetics testing service to improve drug treatment outcomes in children receiving mental health care.
  2. Collect performance, outcome, and economic indicators related to the pharmacogenetics testing service.
  3. Establish a research platform for the discovery of new genetic and non-genetic markers of drug treatment outcomes relevant to mental health care in children.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

6000

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Alberta
      • Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 4N1
        • University of Calgary

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

6 years to 24 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Medical records available
  • The initiation, change, dose adjustment, or augmentation of psychiatric medication(s) is indicated
  • Treating psychiatrist, family physician, or pediatrician licensed in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba requests pharmacogenetic testing

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Medically unstable or lacking capacity to provided informed consent
  • Unwillingness of child to provide saliva sample for genetic analysis
  • History of liver or bone marrow (hematopoietic cell) transplant

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Pharmacogenetic Testing
Pharmacogenetic testing panel (CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP3A5, NUDT15, SLCO1B1, TPMT, VKORC1)
Diagnostic test: Pharmacogenetic Testing
Participants will donate a 2ml (teaspoon) sample of saliva. DNA extracted from the saliva sample will be used for genotyping. Genotyping results will be translated into an interpretative clinical report using evidence-based software (Sequence2Script) developed by our group and delivered to the treating physician for use in their clinical decision-making. The report will contain genotyping results, predicted phenotype, and evidence-based drug selection and dosing recommendations relevant to the child's current and future care

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Adverse drug reactions
Time Frame: 6-months
Relative change in adverse drug reaction frequency
6-months
Symptom severity
Time Frame: 6-months
Relative change in symptom severity
6-months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Healthcare utilization
Time Frame: 6-months
Relative change in healthcare utilization
6-months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Calgary

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Chad Bousman, PhD, University of Calgary

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 18, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 9, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 11, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

March 15, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 11, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • REB20-0900

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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