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Monday, November 24, 2008

Pharmacogenomics

Pharmacogenomics is the study of how the hereditary inheritance of an individual affects his/her body’s response to drugs. It is a coined word resulting from the words “pharmacology” and “genomics”. It is hence the study of the relationship between pharmaceuticals and genetics. The vision of pharmacogenomics is to be able to design and produce drugs that are modified to each person’s genetic structure.

Pharmacogenomics consequences in the following benefits:

1. Development of tailor-made medicines. Using pharmacogenomics, pharmaceutical companies can make drugs based on the proteins, enzymes and RNA molecules that are associated with specific genes and diseases. These tailor-made drugs assure not only to maximize therapeutic effects but also to decrease injure to nearby healthy cells.

2. More accurate methods of determining suitable drug dosages. Knowing a patient’s genetics will enable doctors to determine how well his/ her body cans procedure and metabolize a medicine. This will maximize the value of the medicine and reduce the likelihood of overdose.

3. Improvements in the drug detection and approval process. The discovery of potential therapies will be made easier using genome targets. Genes have been linked with many diseases and disorders. With modern biotechnology, these genes can be used as targets for the development of effectual new therapies, which could significantly shorten the drug discovery process.

4. Better vaccines. Safer vaccines can be intended and produced by organisms distorted by means of genetic engineering. These vaccines will elicit the resistant response without the attendant risks of infection. They will be inexpensive, stable, easy to store, and capable of being engineered to carry several strains of pathogen at once.

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