Pharmacogenomics And Its Applications To Diseases

It is a given fact that the way an individual responds to a drug is a complex process affected by many genes

. Without the accurate understanding of how genes respond to a given medicine, the physicians may recourse to trial and error in treating diseases. Each medicine prescribed during the trial-and-error phase has serious adverse effects on the patients that can trigger an onset of another disease.

It is not a wonder, therefore, why some individuals have overlapping diseases or complications. Most of them are due to the adverse reactions of medicines which have small chances of treating the targeted disease. In addition, scientists find it very difficult to develop medicines that could specifically target diseases. Patients are not given the best drug therapy because little do scientists know how genes react to such medicines. In lieu of these issues, the scientists are conducting a new field of scientific study.

Pharmacogenomics combines the study of drugs and genes of humans. Scientists aim to understand how genes react to certain drugs. The scientific study focuses on investigating the inherited variations in genes that compel drug reactions, and examine the ways these variations can be utilized to determine the gene's response to medications.

Among the applications of pharmacoecogenomics to diseases are:

1. More accuracy in methods used to identify the right drug dosage. At the present, the dosages of medicines are based on a patient's age and weight. Soon, with pharmacogenomics, the dosage of medicines will be based on what constitute a patient's genes. That is, the scientists have accurately measured the body's ability to metabolize the medicine and long it will take to complete such process. In effect, the patient is not exposed to the risks of overdose.

2. Enhancement in developing drugs. Having understood fully the human genome and its expression, pharmaceutical companies will be able to develop therapies. Also, the approval process for drug is expedited as trials are targeted for particular genetic population sub-group. There will be fewer costs and lesser risks of clinical trials because only those who are capable of responding to drugs based on their genetic makeup will be targeted.

3. More high-end methods of screening diseases. Knowing a person's genetic code will enable him to make the necessary changes in lifestyle at an early age to avoid or reduce the severity of genetic diseases. Moreover, the advance knowledge of specific disease vulnerability will enable thorough monitoring, and treatments will be introduced at the most appropriate level to maximize the therapy.

4.Dramatic reduction in overall cost of health care. There will be a remarkable decrease in the cost of health care because with pharmacogenomics, there will be lower number of adverse effects of drugs, lower number of failed drug trials, shorter time for drug approval, and shorter time for patients to be in drug therapy, and lower number of medications patients should take to find the right and effective drug therapy.

Pharmacogenomics is still a science on its infancy. The scientists will face several obstacles before they are able to deliver its promises to diseases and medicines.

by: Charles Godbout

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