Pharmacogenetics

Pharmacogenetics--the branch of genetics concerned with differences in ability to react to or metabolize prescription drugs--is optimistic that genetic testing will change medicine from a reactive paradigm to a proactive, preventive paradigm.

The plan is to identify people who, for example, are "poor metabolizers". These people have a hard time breaking down specific kinds of drugs and are thus often more sensitive to them. For some, an anesthetic may be deadly. Being tested and using the knowledge acquired to help you understnd how you react to drugs may help you avoid potential problems.

Pharmacogenomics can also help tell someone that they may be unlikely to be affected by a drug. For example, statins--which work to lower LDL-cholesterol--don't work on some people. It is possible that they are not genetically suspectible to the action of the statin drug. The side-effect risks in taking a statin would likely outweigh the potential benefits for these patients, and they are probably better off using another anti-cholesterol treatment.

Marie Godfrey, PhD