Smoking Cessation Health Center

Genetics May Personalize Quit-Smoking Methods

Matching the Medication to the Individual

Scott McIntosh, PhD, director of the Greater Rochester Area Tobacco Cessation Center and an associate professor of community and preventive medicine at University of Rochester Medical Center, is all for this new, individualized approach to smoking cessation.

"This is an excellent direction to go in because you can tailor quit attempts by making sure that you have the best medication for that person," he says.

There may be other genetic markers that can help point smokers toward the most effective therapies, he says. 

For example, "someone who is very social might do better with a telephone quit line or group counseling, whereas someone who is not as social may do better if they just received information on how to quit," he says.

"There will be genetic markers for that sort of thing," McIntosh predicts. "There is no one-size-fits-all approach to smoking cessation, and this type of treatment matching can help physicians further tailor their approach," he says.