Cationic conjugated polymer technique can identify hypertension risk alleles

A cationic conjugated polymer (CCP)-based multistep fluorescence resonance energy transfer (MS-FRET) technique, which identifies hypertensive risk alleles, can improve and shorten the time to blood pressure control, according to a study published in the March 8 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

Qi Shen, from the Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and colleagues used a CCP-based MS-FRET technique to qualitatively analyze DNA genotypes associated with hypertension.

The researchers found that in a retrospective study of whole-blood samples from 150 patients hospitalized with hypertension, this technique successfully identified known hypertensive risk alleles on assessment of 10 genetic loci.

The detection method was then applied to a prospective clinical trial of 100 patients with essential hypertension. Based on the results from the MS-FRET technique, personalized treatment of patients with hypertension could effectively improve the rate of blood pressure control (94.0 versus 54.0 percent) and shorten the time to blood pressure control relative to conventional treatment (4.06 versus 5.82 days).

"Our system has the advantages of simple operation and high throughput detection, providing a potentially useful tool to aid in management of hypertension," the authors write. "This system could be applied to maximize the efficacy of antihypertensive medication and reduce rates of uncontrolled hypertension, particularly in resource-limited settings."

Several authors are inventors on a Chinese patent application.