Online Cancer Genomics Databases Provide Teaching Resources For Pharmacy Education

Abstract

Connecting scientific concepts with clinical applications is an important objective of pharmacy education. In particular, as the field of precision oncology expands, it is critical that pharmacy students understand how genetic information connects with cancer treatment decisions. However, to effectively teach students about pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics, faculty require relevant educational resources, including those that support higher-order learning. In this commentary, we demonstrate the potential utility of publicly accessible cancer genomics databases as teaching resources for pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics in oncology pharmacy education. Using clinical data retrieved from a genomics database, we illustrate how case studies can be developed to target core competencies, including understanding tumor genomics profiling, somatic mutations and pharmacotherapy selection, and clinical pharmacogenetics testing. Cancer genomics databases provide readily available, cost-effective, clinical data resources that support active learning related to pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics education in oncology pharmacy curricula.