DNAprint Genomics (DNAG)

[IVRT]

Personalized Medicine and Pharmacogenomics

Doctors and pharmacists have long known that individuals respond
differently to the same drug. The reason for this is the underlying
genetic variability between individuals. Pharmacogenomics is the
study of drug interactivity against the backdrop of genetic variability
and most properly involves a consideration of complex genetics (a
good analogy to this system is the flux-balance model in E. Coli-
Schilling et al.,1999). Whereas one person may effectively and
safely metabolize a certain drug, another may metabolize the same
drug into a dangerous toxin. By evaluating drug response against
genotype, it will be possible to define genetic profiles which are
compatible with certain treatment regimens and those which are not.
In this way, a patient’s response to a drug can be accurately
predicted before the drug is prescribed. The idea of using a patient’s
genotype as a factor in deciding on treatment options is commonly
referred to as Personalized Medicine. Though today’s drugs are
approved and developed based on their performance in a large
population of people, medicine of the future will be evaluated and
prescribed as tailor made solutions for a particular patient’s needs.


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