PHARMACOGENOMICS

'The Right Drug For Right Person'

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)- the genetic material present in nucleus of every cell, is the storehouse of hereditary information, something that we inherit from our parents. The size of human DNA is 3 billion base pairs. Interestingly, all human beings are 99.9% similar in their genetic makeup and it is 0.1% of DNA sequence that makes us so different from each other. It's role is not only in determining in our physical features, but it can also modulate our response to the medications.

The traditional and current therapeutic approaches are based on the concept of 'One Size fits all' i.e. a particular drug is used for a particular diseasefor all the patients. Have you ever wondered, the same tablet for a disease works effectively on one person and not on other. It may even show adverse side effects in some individuals. The reason behind these differences is our genetic makeup and the variations in DNA sequence. This gave birth to a new field- PHARMACOGENOMICS (which combines Pharmacology-the study of drugs and genomics- the study of genes and their functions).

Pharmacogenomics involves tailoring medicine according to a person's genetic makeup. The genetic differences will be used to decide whether a medicine will be effective on a person and to help prevent adverse reactions. The drugs and their dosages will be designed on an individual basis. It would serve as a great step towards improving human health, as there would be no adverse side effects of any medication. Moreover, this will reduce the time of treatment and will show more effective results in all individuals.

Though theoretically, it seems to be quite fruitful but practically it is still very difficult to use personalized drugs. Apparently, Pharmacogenomics is still in its infancy and needs to undergo through a lot of clinical trials for its transition from bench to bedside.

By: Ms. Simranjot Kaur