Pharmacogenomics: The Science of Personalizing Drugs Based On DNA

Individuals share about 99.97 percent of their DNA and only the remaining 0.03 percent is responsible for the differences in skin, hair or eye color, height, shoe size or sunspots. Scientists discovered somewhat recently that our bodies also metabolize drugs differently so it would make sense to prescribe medications based on the knowledge hidden in our DNA. In some cases, physicians already do that. Here’s what you need to know about pharmacogenomics and the future of prescription drugs. It’s all in your genes Why do some people eat creamy French cakes all the time, only do sports when they have to run after the bus and still remain in shape? How come when others eat some chips, the next day they’ll gain two pounds? What exactly is the reason for some people not being able to drink coffee after 6 pm otherwise they will be up all night; and why do others have some double espresso at 11 pm and sleep around midnight as if nothing happened? The response is all in your genes. Well, more precisely how your organism’s metabolic processes work, which are determined by the double spiral. Genetics and genomics aim to uncover the most hidden secrets of our bodies, and how the human organism might respond to environmental factors. Two specific strands concentrate on metabolic issues: nutrigenomics and pharmacogenomics. The first one deals with food issues and the latter with the drug response of our bodies due to the genetic code. Generally, it argues that despite general sentim...
Source: The Medical Futurist - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Future of Pharma Genomics Medical Professionals Patients Researchers DNA dna testing drugs genetics Health Healthcare Innovation medication pharmacogenetics pharmacogenomics precision health precision medicine technology Source Type: blogs