Current concepts of pharmacogenetics, pharmacogenomics, and the "druggable" genome

Abstract

The "post-genome" era we live in holds the great promise that our steadily growing knowledge on the genetics of interindividual drug response variability will be translated into clinical practice. According to the current intriguing concepts of pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics, genetic information of individuals can be used to avoid "trial and error" scenarios during medication. Based on evidence from genomic testing, medicine is expected to evolve from the "one dose fits all" strategy to patient-tailored therapy, which is guided by individualized drug selection and dose optimization: a promising perspective for patient, industries, and health-care providers. The scientific knowledge fueling this vision of a genomic "precision" medicine is expanding rapidly, and outstanding examples already exist of how the outcome of a genomic test dictates specific therapies. Major challenges, however, still lie ahead until genomic medicine will find its place in routine clinical practice. In this chapter, important facts of the principles in genomic medicine are summarized, providing insight into ways how genetic information of an individual can be used to improve drug safety and efficacy and further can help to select optimal drugs and streamline the process of drug discovery and development.