Biology in the LaboratoryDNA in the Lab |
What is pharmacogenomics? |
Pharmacogenomics is the use of DNA technology to develop new drugs to treat individual patients. For example, the interaction of a drug with a specific protein can be studied and then compared to a cell in which a genetic mutation has inactivated that protein. Its potential is to tailor drug therapy to an individual’s genome—a tailoring that could reduce adverse drug reactions and increase the efficacy of drug treatment.