ABSTRACT:
Diagnostic and drug research today seeks genomic and molecular-level targeting of cells, tissues, and organs. Often, distinct submolecular mechanisms underlie intended therapeutic and unintended adverse effects that may hold the potential to optimize or, in some cases, revolutionize medical therapeutics. Personalized Medicine offers an opportunity to enhance the value of currently approved drugs with limited market share because of significant toxicity or limited efficacy, enabling prescribers to identify patients for whom they can be both effective and safe. Such recognition of inter individual differences in drug response is an essential step toward optimizing therapy. Individualizing drug therapy raises a number of issues with enormous practical consequences that will be explored further in this series. The dynamic complexity of the human genome, multigenic disease origins, and involvement of numerous genes in drug response impede effective, routine clinical application.