The Role of Pharmacogenetic and Pharmacogenomic on the Influence of Drug Response

Dear Colleagues, 

Pharmacogenetics is the study of the genetic causes of individual variations in drug response, whereas pharmacogenomics deals with the simultaneous impact of multiple mutations in the genome that may determine a patient's response to drug therapy. Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genes influence a person's response to drugs. This field combines pharmacology and genomics (the study of genes and their functions) to develop effective and safe drugs that can be prescribed based on a person's genetics by studying the simultaneous impact of multiple mutations in the genome that can determine a patient's response to drug therapy. 

The study of these methods in the drug development process can then identify subpopulations of patients with more effective responses and/or a better benefit/risk profile to drug treatment. Knowledge of pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics is important to ensure the best benefit/risk ratio of drugs. In drug therapy administration, in fact, it can be difficult to predict who will derive therapeutic efficacy from a drug, who will not respond at all, and who will experience adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The field of pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics is growing rapidly, and new approaches are being explored in clinical trials. Most often, these studies are concerned with pharmacokinetics (PK), that is, the factors that influence the drug concentration that will eventually reach the therapeutic target. Variation in drug response among individuals is due to genetic variation in enzymes that metabolize drugs.

In addition, genetic susceptibility to ADRs is an emerging issue, e.g., hemolytic anemia due to glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, aplastic anemia, porphyria, malignant hyperthermia, long QT and Brugada syndrome. The role of genetic mutations in the pathogenesis of ADRs has been demonstrated for both dose-dependent and dose-independent reactions. A better understanding of genotype–phenotype relationships could lead to personalized medicine that can predict ADRs and, consequently, choose the appropriate drug and dosage for each patient to ensure maximum therapeutic efficacy. This Special Issue is supervised by Dr. Francesco Ferrara and Dr. Antonio Vitiello, with assistance from Dr. Andrea Zovi (Ministry of Health in Italy).

Dr. Francesco Ferrara
Dr. Antonio Vitiello
Guest Editors

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