Pharmacogenomics: A pathway to individualized medicine

Abstract

Since the 1950s, the field of pharmacogenomics has rapidly expanded, yielding valuable evidence of the link of genetics and drug response whether due to alterations in drug metabolism, transport, target proteins, or genetically determined disease severity. The patient genome is postulated to account for 20-95 % of the variability of drug response. The impact of pharmacogenomics transcends the individual, with major repercussions upon drug discovery and development in pharmaceutical industry as well as the economics of health care. This chapter summarizes important principles and relevant examples.