Pharmacogenetics-guided antidepressant decision-making and personalised treatment

Project Summary

PGx-ADAPT is a three-year research project focused on making antidepressant treatment more effective, personalised, and timely for people in Western Australia. Currently, more than half of people don’t respond to their first prescribed antidepressant, resulting in delays, side effects, and unnecessary suffering. PGx-ADAPT will explore whether pharmacogenetics (PGx) – a tool that uses a person’s genetic profile to guide medication choices – can be used in everyday general practice to reduce this trial-and-error process.

The project will partner with young people, families, Aboriginal and CALD communities, GPs, psychiatrists, and policymakers to design an ethical, culturally safe, and clinically practical approach to using PGx in mental health care. It will involve co-designed GP training, real-world testing in metro and rural clinics, and gathering feedback from both patients and clinicians.

By combining lived experience with clinical and policy insights, PGx-ADAPT will generate real-world evidence and tools to support broader use of PGx across WA. The goal is to create a future where antidepressant prescribing is faster, safer, and more tailored, so that people can get the right treatment, sooner.