Pharmacogenomics is the tailoring of drug treatments to people's genetic make up - a form of 'personalised medicine'.
People respond differently to medicines. Some respond well and their health improves. Some do not gain any benefits from the treatment, and some are actually harmed.
One of the most important things that affect how well we respond to drugs is our genetic make-up. So by finding out which genes control response to drugs, medical researchers hope to develop genetic tests that will predict whether patients will respond well to a drug or are likely to suffer harmful side-effects.
If several similar drugs exist that can help treat a condition, a doctor might be able to give a genetic test to identify which drug would best suit the patient.
This is the hope; but what is the reality? Although pharmacogenomics is likely to be important in the medicine of the future, there are many scientific and medical obstacles to overcome before it is in routine use.
Pharmaco-genomics or -genetics?
The terms 'pharmacogenomics' and 'pharmacogenetics' are used more or less interchangeably. Technically, they have slightly different meanings:
- Pharmacogenomics: Analysing entire genomes, across groups of individuals, to identify the genetic factors influencing responses to a drug.
- Pharmacogenetics: Studying an individual's genetic make up in order to predict responses to a drug and guide prescription.
