Pharmacogenomics: A Developing Clinical Tool for Improving Health

Pharmacogenomics is a powerful developing field, having the potential of improving the health conditions of humans in a much more effective manner. It provides such data which can be used to prevent the adverse reaction of the drugs and lower the medical costs.

What is Pharmacogenomics?

Pharmacogenomics refers to the study of how genes of humans respond to different drugs. It is a new and developing field that combines pharmacology (which means the science and study of drugs) and genomics (which means understanding genes and their different functions). This study helps in developing safe and effective medicine that can be able to adjust with the genetic makeup of the patients.

Most of the drugs available currently are the “ same that fits for all”, but the truth is different. The available drugs do not work in a similar manner for everyone; different patients’ genes react in different manners with the drugs. It is a challenging task to predict which patient will be benefited or which patient will have a negative effect.

When the patient is given any medicine, and it reacts negatively, then it’s called an adverse reaction of the drugs. It is one of the common reasons behind deaths and hospitalization in the U.S. The pharmacogenomics field is yet very new. The use of this study is limited, but several new approaches are being developed and are in trials.

In the upcoming years, pharmacogenomics will help in the development of effective drugs which can be used for treating several health problems like cardiovascular disease, cancer, asthma, and HIV/AIDS.

Market Insight of the Pharmacogenomics Services

Currently, the industry of pharmacogenomics services is witnessing a huge growth in the market because of the increasing infectious diseases and cancers, the demand for personalized medicine, increasing adverse reactions of the drugs, and usage of pharmacogenomics for the development and discovery of new drugs.

The advancements in pharmacogenomic tests also help the research community in establishing an effective plan for developing novel biomarkers related to several diseases.

The value of the global pharmacogenomics services market in 2020 was $5,060.0 million. As per the reports of BIS Research, the global pharmacogenomics services market is anticipated to grow and touch $9,346.8 million by 2031, at a CAGR of 5.71% during 2021–2031.

Working of Pharmacogenomics:

Drugs interact with the human body in several ways. It depends on how the person is taking the drug and where it is affecting the body. The DNA of the body can influence how a drug responds to the body. A few examples of this interaction are listed down:

• Drug Receptors:

Some drugs require to be attached to proteins present on the cell surface called receptors. The kind of receptor patients have is determined by the body’s DNA, and similarly, it affects the way drugs respond to the body. It can also help to determine the amount of drug needed by the patients and choose the right drug.

• Drug Uptake:

Few drugs require to be taken inside the cells and tissues to make them act in the required manner. The DNA of the body can affect the uptake of drugs in the body. A decrease in the uptake means the drugs were not able to work correctly and can result in certain problems in different parts of the body.

• Drug Breakdown:

The DNA of the body of the patient can affect the time the drug takes to break down. If the patient is capable of breaking down the drug in a quick time compared to others, then the body can use the drug faster and will require more doses of the drugs. In case the patient takes time to break down the drugs; such patients need a low number of drugs.

How is genetic testing different from pharmacogenomics?

Genetic testing refers to a kind of test that is done to search specific genes in humans. For example, genetic testing can be done for searching genes like BRCA2 and BRCA1. This can help to know the chances of patients suffering from ovarian cancer and breast cancer. The result of a genetic test can reduce the risk factors and help doctors to take necessary steps in treating the diseases.

Pharmacogenomics testing helps in rounding the smaller variations in the genes. It can affect and let the experts and doctors know whether the drugs will have a positive or negative effect on the specific patient. It helps doctors in choosing the most effective and safest drugs for a particular patient.

Conclusion

With continued developments and research in the area of pharmacogenomics, it can be highly helpful in the future in prescribing better drugs as per the patient’s body requirements.

However, pharmacogenomics is still under development and needs more research. Pharmacogenomics can help to solve complex situations of the gene and can improve the response of patients to medicines.