Dr. Britta Haenisch

Biography

Britta Hänisch studied pharmacy at the University of Bonn. From 2005-2008 she was a PhD student in the Neuropharmacology group of Prof. Bönisch at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology (University of Bonn). Her postdoctoral work at the Institute of Human Genetics (Prof. Nöthen and Prof. Cichon) focused on genomics of neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Since 2010 she is specialized pharmacist in drug information; in 2011 she completed an advanced training and became a specialized pharmacologist. Since March 2012, Britta Hänisch is junior research group leader at the DZNE in Bonn.

Research Interest

The main goal of the research group is to examine drug application and adverse effects of drugs in patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, this group is analyzing data from multiple sources. One source includes data from general-practice registry-based longitudinal studies in elderly individuals initially without dementia. Those studies aim at identifying incidence, progress and predictors of cognitive decline and dementia. Detailed documentation of cognitive performance, medical history and medication allow comprehensive pharmacoepidemiological analyses. Inclusion of biomarker information and data on genetic variability into the statistical analysis can provide hints for a structured personalized therapy. In addition, prescription data of public health insurance funds, so-called routine data, as well as pharmacovigilance information from regulatory agencies and databases will be evaluated. The aim is to assess efficiency and safety of pharmacotherapy in patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, risk constellations in view of different treatments with multiple drugs should be detected. This approach can provide a basis for further decisions in health care policy.