Genomics and Drug Response

Harmacogenomics is the study of the role of inherited and acquired genetic variation in drug response. Clinically relevant pharmacogenetic examples, mainly involving drug metabolism, have been known for decades, but recently, the field of pharmacogenetics has evolved into "pharmacogenomics," involving a shift from a focus on individual candidate genes to genomewide association studies. Such studies are based on a rapid scan of markers across the genome of persons affected by a particular disorder or drug-response phenotype and persons who are not affected, with tests for association that compare genetic variation in a case-control setting. 2 An example is provided in this issue of the Journal: McCormack and…