Applying Pharmacogenomics In Therapeutics

This excerpt from a book about pharmacogenomics discusses how pharmacogenomics is used to personalize treatments for patients. Pharmacogenomics is the study of the effects of genes on drug responses. It has been used to personalize treatments for patients by understanding which genes are responsible for which drug responses.

Recent advances in high-throughput gene sequencing and other omics biotechnologies have served as a springboard for the field of pharmacogenomics. Pharmacogenomics is now generally accepted as the major determinant of variable drug safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness. Therefore, widespread use of pharmacogenomics for patient care has become a critical requirement. There is an unprecedented urgency for aspiring and practicing clinicians to become trained on how to interpret data from pharmacogenomic testing in preparation for the future of healthcare?i.e., personalized medicine. Applying Pharmacogenomics in Therapeutics provides timely coverage of the principles, practice, and potential of pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine. Comprised of chapters contributed by well-established pharmacologists and scientists from US and Chinese academia and industry, this authoritative text:

• Demonstrates how to apply the principles of pharmacogenomics and its biotechnologies in patient care
• Depicts the use of genetic biomarkers in drug discovery and development, laboratory medicine, and clinical services
• Describes the practice of pharmacogenomics in the treatment of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, neurologic and psychiatric disorders, and pulmonary diseases
• Discusses the merging of pharmacogenomics and alternative medicine, as well as the integration of pharmacogenomics into pharmacoeconomics

Each chapter begins with the key concepts, followed by in-depth explorations of case reports or critical evaluations of genetic variants/biomarkers, and concludes with questions for self-examination.