Hypermarker personalised trial gets the green light

Hypermarker, a European consortium led by the University of Birmingham and funded by Horizon Europe and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), aims to transform how clinicians choose blood pressure medications by offering a more personalised, effective, and safer approach to treating hypertension.

In March 2026, Hypermarker launched its clinical trial, co-developed with patients and public stakeholders, to explore how pharmacometabolomics (the study of how the body’s metabolism affects drug response) can be integrated into everyday clinical practice to personalise hypertension treatment. The study also uses machine learning to help optimise treatment decisions.

The trial will develop, test, and refine a personalised treatment strategy for hypertension, combining each patient’s clinical and metabolomic data to help doctors select the most suitable class of blood pressure medication. The Hypermarker trial is a pragmatic, adaptive and open-label study embedded in routine clinical care. The study will run for up to 4 months across 4 European countries (the UK, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands) and will recruit around 400 patients. Each participant will give a small blood sample for metabolite testing and will receive a blood pressure monitor to record their readings at home. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups (A and B). Those in Group A will receive standard care following current clinical guidelines. Those in Group B will receive treatment prescribed by a doctor with access to pharmacometabolomic information up-front. At the end of the trial, all participants and their doctors will receive a summary of their blood pressure readings, prescribed treatments, and responses to support long-term care decisions.

Through this trial, the Hypermarker consortium aims to show that combining metabolomic analysis with digital tools can lead to better blood pressure control, fewer side effects, and greater patient adherence to medication. In addition, a health economic evaluation, led by the London School of Economics, will assess the cost-effectiveness and healthcare impact of this personalised approach, helping ensure its long-term sustainability.

If successful, Hypermarker could pave the way for a new model of precision medicine, not only for hypertension but also for other chronic diseases.