Not all tablets react same for all !! Get to Know Why ?
- Shaziya J
- Feb 7, 2023
- 2 min read
Design your own Personalized medicine!!
Author: Shaziya J ( Btech Biotechnology)
Pharmacogenomics, also known as Pharmacogenetics, is a branch of science that focuses on how a person's genes influence how they react to drugs. This area of research tries to assist physicians in selecting the medications and dosages that are most appropriate for each patient. It is comparable to giving "custom medicine" to each individual, boosting the likelihood of getting the quickest effects from a given treatment. It belongs to the discipline of precision medicine.
DNA's genes contain the instructions needed to make proteins. Different DNA sequences are responsible for varied functions in each variant of a gene. While some varieties are rare, others are common. Scientists have come to the conclusion that different proteins are to blame for the various responses that different people experience to the same medicine. Pharmacogenomics is concerned with these differences in these proteins' genes.
The gene that is in charge of the production of liver enzyme is an illustration of such a gene. Drugs can be chemically changed by liver enzymes. Thus, even slight variations in a gene can have a significant effect on how well a medicine works. One liver enzyme called CYP2D6 interacts with 25% of all prescription medications.
For instance, it changes codeine, a painkiller, into morphine, which is the drug's active form. The CYP2D6 gene has more than 160 variations. Most genes are present in two copies per person. The CYP2D6 gene is present in some individuals in hundreds or even thousands of copies. Those with extra copies overproduce the CYP2D6 enzyme and break down the medication quickly. Because of this, a typical dose may be too much for certain people because of how fast and completely their bodies convert codeine to morphine.
On the other hand, some CYP2D6 genotypes produce an ineffective enzyme. These variations cause sluggish or non-existent codeine metabolism, which provides little or no pain relief. Doctors may suggest a different medication for them. Pharmacogenomics is increasingly being used by pharmaceutical corporations to create personalised medications for patients with certain genetic profiles. This makes way for the potentially exponential therapeutic benefits that a medicine can only offer to those who are suffering from that particular ailment.
Additionally, if researchers are able to pinpoint genes that result in harmful side effects, doctors might only recommend those medications to those who do not possess those genes. This would make it possible for some persons to get potentially life-saving medications that might otherwise be prohibited because they present a risk to others.
Flow of personalized medicine research
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