Report on the 2024 international phase II/N-acetyltransferase workshop

The International Phase II/N-acetyltransferase (NAT) Workshop was held September 25-26, 2024, at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio USA. The workshop was a satellite of the annual meeting of the Pharmacogenomics Global Research Network held at Ohio State University which graciously provided space and administrative support. The organizing committee consisted of David W. Hein, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky USA; Sotiria Boukouvala, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece; and Giannoulis Fakis, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece. The meeting was truly international with participants from 12 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Greece, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, and United States) across the world. The major focus of the workshop was a roundtable describing and discussing new N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) gene nomenclature which very recently has undergone substantial revisions and upgrades consistent with Pharmacogene Variation Consortium (PharmVar) standards. The roundtable generated an extensive discussion of NAT2 nomenclature, allele functions, and clinical implementation among the participants which informed the various PharmVar and CPIC NAT2 expert panels in making their consensus recommendations which will be submitted as manuscripts for publication. The roundtable was followed by six platform sessions addressing: (1) diversity in NAT2 and other pharmacogenes; (2) NATs in chronic diseases; (3) NAT2 allele definition and function; (4) NATs and mitochondrial function; (5) NAT functions in xenobiotic metabolism and beyond; and (6) UDP-glucuronosyltransferases. It was the first NAT workshop to incorporate representatives from PharmVar and CPIC. Workshop dinners following the roundtable and platform sessions led to ongoing discussions among the participants resulting in new scientific interactions and collaborations among individuals across the world.