Personalized genome, current status, and the future of pharmacogenomics

Abstract

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are one of the most dreadful medical conditions that affect a considerable number of individuals when they are taking single or multiple prescription drugs. Often these adverse reactions can occur with specialized drugs that are used to treat more serious disorders. Seldom ADRs can also occur due to intake of even simpler drugs such as penicillin and aspirin. In spite of volumes of data on ADRs, at present we still go through “one size fits all” model in dealing with prescription drugs. This scenario could change due to the emergence of new ways to overcome or minimize ADRs. Pharmacogenomics is one such ways to overcome many horrors of side effects caused by drugs, including ADRs. Pharmacogenomics is the combination of pharmacy and the patient’s genetic composition which interact in an intricate manner to produce positive as well as negative drug reactions. When positive, it is for the betterment of patients, and when negative it leads to ADRs which oftentimes is fatal. Pharmacogenomics is an emerging field of science which is still in its infancy. Technologies that were developed along with the Human Genome Project (HGP), such as faster DNA sequencing protocols and efficient data handling softwares would help in the rapid advancement of pharmacogenomics in the near future. In addition, the reduced cost to obtain complete sequence of individual genome would provide data on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotype map (HapMap). These data would provide pattern of individual genetic variations which could be useful in managing diseases and treating patients effectively. In this chapter we will look at the current status and the future of pharmacogenomics which will aid in the development of personalised care. We will also discuss some of the obstacles that would have to be dealt with in achieving such target.