ClinPGx Database
Overview
ClinPGx (Clinical Pharmacogenomics Database) is a comprehensive resource for clinical pharmacogenomics information, successor to PharmGKB. It consolidates data from PharmGKB, CPIC, and PharmCAT, providing curated information on how genetic variation affects medication response. Access gene-drug pairs, clinical guidelines, allele functions, and drug labels for precision medicine applications.
When to Use This Skill
This skill should be used when:
- Gene-drug interactions: Querying how genetic variants affect drug metabolism, efficacy, or toxicity
- CPIC guidelines: Accessing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for pharmacogenetics
- Allele information: Retrieving allele function, frequency, and phenotype data
- Drug labels: Exploring FDA and other regulatory pharmacogenomic drug labeling
- Pharmacogenomic annotations: Accessing curated literature on gene-drug-disease relationships
- Clinical decision support: Using PharmDOG tool for phenoconversion and custom genotype interpretation
- Precision medicine: Implementing pharmacogenomic testing in clinical practice
- Drug metabolism: Understanding CYP450 and other pharmacogene functions
- Personalized dosing: Finding genotype-guided dosing recommendations
- Adverse drug reactions: Identifying genetic risk factors for drug toxicity
Installation and Setup
Python API Access
The ClinPGx REST API provides programmatic access to all database resources. Basic setup:
uv pip install requests
API Endpoint
BASE_URL = "https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/"
Rate Limits:
- 2 requests per second maximum
- Excessive requests will result in HTTP 429 (Too Many Requests) response
Authentication: Not required for basic access
Data License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
For substantial API use, notify the ClinPGx team at api@clinpgx.org
Core Capabilities
1. Gene Queries
Retrieve gene information including function, clinical annotations, and pharmacogenomic significance:
import requests
# Get gene details
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/gene/CYP2D6")
gene_data = response.json()
# Search for genes by name
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/gene",
params={"q": "CYP"})
genes = response.json()
Key pharmacogenes:
- CYP450 enzymes: CYP2D6, CYP2C19, CYP2C9, CYP3A4, CYP3A5
- Transporters: SLCO1B1, ABCB1, ABCG2
- Other metabolizers: TPMT, DPYD, NUDT15, UGT1A1
- Receptors: OPRM1, HTR2A, ADRB1
- HLA genes: HLA-B, HLA-A
2. Drug and Chemical Queries
Retrieve drug information including pharmacogenomic annotations and mechanisms:
# Get drug details
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/chemical/PA448515") # Warfarin
drug_data = response.json()
# Search drugs by name
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/chemical",
params={"name": "warfarin"})
drugs = response.json()
Drug categories with pharmacogenomic significance:
- Anticoagulants (warfarin, clopidogrel)
- Antidepressants (SSRIs, TCAs)
- Immunosuppressants (tacrolimus, azathioprine)
- Oncology drugs (5-fluorouracil, irinotecan, tamoxifen)
- Cardiovascular drugs (statins, beta-blockers)
- Pain medications (codeine, tramadol)
- Antivirals (abacavir)
3. Gene-Drug Pair Queries
Access curated gene-drug relationships with clinical annotations:
# Get gene-drug pair information
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/geneDrugPair",
params={"gene": "CYP2D6", "drug": "codeine"})
pair_data = response.json()
# Get all pairs for a gene
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/geneDrugPair",
params={"gene": "CYP2C19"})
all_pairs = response.json()
Clinical annotation sources:
- CPIC (Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium)
- DPWG (Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group)
- FDA (Food and Drug Administration) labels
- Peer-reviewed literature summary annotations
4. CPIC Guidelines
Access evidence-based clinical practice guidelines:
# Get CPIC guideline
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/guideline/PA166104939")
guideline = response.json()
# List all CPIC guidelines
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/guideline",
params={"source": "CPIC"})
guidelines = response.json()
CPIC guideline components:
- Gene-drug pairs covered
- Clinical recommendations by phenotype
- Evidence levels and strength ratings
- Supporting literature
- Downloadable PDFs and supplementary materials
- Implementation considerations
Example guidelines:
- CYP2D6-codeine (avoid in ultra-rapid metabolizers)
- CYP2C19-clopidogrel (alternative therapy for poor metabolizers)
- TPMT-azathioprine (dose reduction for intermediate/poor metabolizers)
- DPYD-fluoropyrimidines (dose adjustment based on activity)
- HLA-B*57:01-abacavir (avoid if positive)
5. Allele and Variant Information
Query allele function and frequency data:
# Get allele information
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/allele/CYP2D6*4")
allele_data = response.json()
# Get all alleles for a gene
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/allele",
params={"gene": "CYP2D6"})
alleles = response.json()
Allele information includes:
- Functional status (normal, decreased, no function, increased, uncertain)
- Population frequencies across ethnic groups
- Defining variants (SNPs, indels, CNVs)
- Phenotype assignment
- References to PharmVar and other nomenclature systems
Phenotype categories:
- Ultra-rapid metabolizer (UM): Increased enzyme activity
- Normal metabolizer (NM): Normal enzyme activity
- Intermediate metabolizer (IM): Reduced enzyme activity
- Poor metabolizer (PM): Little to no enzyme activity
6. Variant Annotations
Access clinical annotations for specific genetic variants:
# Get variant information
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/variant/rs4244285")
variant_data = response.json()
# Search variants by position (if supported)
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/variant",
params={"chromosome": "10", "position": "94781859"})
variants = response.json()
Variant data includes:
- rsID and genomic coordinates
- Gene and functional consequence
- Allele associations
- Clinical significance
- Population frequencies
- Literature references
7. Clinical Annotations
Retrieve curated literature annotations (formerly PharmGKB clinical annotations):
# Get clinical annotations
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/clinicalAnnotation",
params={"gene": "CYP2D6"})
annotations = response.json()
# Filter by evidence level
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/clinicalAnnotation",
params={"evidenceLevel": "1A"})
high_evidence = response.json()
Evidence levels (from highest to lowest):
- Level 1A: High-quality evidence, CPIC/FDA/DPWG guidelines
- Level 1B: High-quality evidence, not yet guideline
- Level 2A: Moderate evidence from well-designed studies
- Level 2B: Moderate evidence with some limitations
- Level 3: Limited or conflicting evidence
- Level 4: Case reports or weak evidence
8. Drug Labels
Access pharmacogenomic information from drug labels:
# Get drug labels with PGx information
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/drugLabel",
params={"drug": "warfarin"})
labels = response.json()
# Filter by regulatory source
response = requests.get("https://api.clinpgx.org/v1/drugLabel",
params={"source": "FDA"})
fda_labels = response.json()
**L