Pharmacogenomics: Drugs for your Genes

Imagine if we lived in a world where scientists could make drugs specifically tailored to your individual needs. Well, what was once only seen in sci-fi films, is now a reality. Pharmacogenomics combines pharmacology: the study of drugs, with genomics: the study of a people’s genes. This revolutionary new branch of science has the potential to develop drugs, specially tailored to an individual’s genetics; this would avoid negative side effects and perfect the dosage required for optimum effect.

Pharmacogenomics is a vital new field, less than 20 years old. Current drugs are based on a ‘one size fits all’ basis, but this does not necessarily mean they will work the same way for everyone. A person’s genetics may be the root cause of this difference, although other factors like gender, age, and lifestyle will all play their part. Professor Munir Pirmohamed said that most prescribed drugs only work in 30-50% of people. Furthermore, statistics show that 6.5% of hospital admissions in the UK are due to adverse reactions to medications; showing the importance of developing drugs which cater to someone’s individual needs.

Pharmacogenomics involves scientists looking at an individual’s genetics and determining if that person has a mutation within specific genes. Ordinarily, genetic testing is used to make a diagnosis e.g., looking for changes in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are linked with a higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer. However, in pharmacogenomics, scientists will look for changes in genes which may affect whether a drug is activated or deactivated in someone’s body. For example, many drugs that treat cancer need to be "switched on" to work; an example of this is proteins in the body, called enzymes, which help speed up this activation of the drugs. These enzymes are created by specific genes and if someone has a mutation in a gene which creates these enzymes, it may change how the enzyme works, and affect how fast a drug is activated, making that drug less efficient.

The primary goal of pharmacogenomics is to create safer and more effective drugs. This will ultimately reduce the amount of money spent on inefficient drugs, and reduces time and space needed in hospitals due to adverse reactions. In the future, it may even be possible to use pharmacogenomics as a pre-emptive measure, rather than a reactive measure. This could mean that patients can be screened and treated for various diseases or illnesses, before they even become sick, therefore reducing patient impact, and further reducing the number of hospitalisations.

The field of pharmacogenomics is still a fairly new area of science. Although its use is limited now, it has the potential to cause a scientific revolution. Based on current, unpublished clinical trials, it will be possible to create drugs specifically tailored to an individual, to treat a range of health issues, such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and asthma. Due to this, pharmacogenomics is a fascinating and vital area of the medical field.

References:

https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/pharmacogenomics.aspx

https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/disease/pharma.htm

https://www.genomicseducation.hee.nhs.uk/blog/what-is-pharmacogenomics/

https://www.genomicseducation.hee.nhs.uk/glossary/pharmacogenomics/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/pharmacogenomics

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/pharmacogenomics

Disclaimer

The information in this blog is for information and entertainment purposes only. I am not a medical professional, so I have never and will never give medical advice in this blog. You should always speak to a healthcare professional about your unique health needs. My opinions are entirely my own and do not reflect the organisations or people I work for. I only discuss published literature in this blog which are referenced with links.

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