According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States（CDC）The data,Every year, over 1.3 million Americans experience adverse drug reactions（ADR）And hospitalized. Every year, over 100000 people die from adverse drug reactions（ADR）, which makes it the fourth leading cause of death over lung disease, diabetes, AIDS, accidents and car accidents, and has become a key patient safety problem that CDC, NIH and pharmaceutical companies have begun to solve through pharmacogenomics.

Pharmacogenomics - a new scientific research field focused on the interaction between the human genome and the safety and efficacy of modern drugs, can create a more equitable environment for all patients.

Pharmacogenomics is dedicated to helping doctors select drugs and dosages that are suitable for each patient.

Although most current studies focus on drug responses to diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, AIDS and asthma(such as depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder)For patients, it also brings a glimmer of hope, as these patients often suffer from serious side effects of the medication even after discontinuation.

According to Kean University（Kean university）Dr. Mike Tocci, Vice President of the New Jersey Center for Science, Technology, and Mathematics, introduced:

Everyone has a set of genes, so the way diseases manifest in each individual and the individual's body's response to specific drug treatments are different

Part 1

The future of medicine

Tocci is a molecular biologist, immunologist, and former head of genome science and biologics at Sanofi. He has spent most of his career working in drug discovery and preclinical development,He believes that pharmacogenomics is a major component of 'personalized medicine'.

We are studying the ways in which drugs are metabolized and achieve therapeutic effects in individuals, as well as how the efficacy of drugs is limited by adverse reactions in individual patients or patient populations through genetic understanding. Doctors and drug researchers are rapidly understanding patients' reactions to certain compounds in order to better treat diseases

We do not have biomarkers for all types of cancer cells, nor do we have a good understanding of which types of cells respond to different types of drugs. However, we are conducting more research on the functions of different types of cells in the human body, so ultimately we will have a better understanding of how our genome affects the action of specific drugsDr. Tocci explained.

The scope and cost associated with this study raise a reasonable question of who will benefit more from this method, both in the short term and in the future.

Patients receiving cancer treatment are a major beneficiary group, but autoimmune diseases(including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases)The patient has also benefited to some extent. With a deeper understanding of how to use more effective drugs to better treat patients and reduce the risk of adverse reactions, doctors will also be a major beneficiary group.

Although the treatment costs for patients may be high in the early stages, over time, pharmacogenomics will reduce costs by increasing the use of biomarkers, gene expression profiling, and cell profiling research, highlighting its benefits in healthcare and drug development.

Over time, the efficacy and safety of drugs will improve, and the treatment costs for patients will also decrease.

Consumers have already switched from American food*（FDA）Beneficial from approved pharmacogenomic research on drug safety.

More than 200 drugs have been labeled with new genomic biomarker information, which also describes differences in drug use and clinical response, risks of adverse reactions, individualized dosages for specific genotypes, mechanisms of drug action, and characteristics of trial design. This new study has been included in clinical trials and has had an impact on companies involved in compound development.

Pharmacogenomics heavily relies on molecular biology and involves many processes, including PCR, protein identification (Western blot, ELISA), determination of gene expression, gene and protein profiling techniques, cell sorting methods, cell isolation techniques (centrifugation), cell imaging methods, and the ability to analyze and depict cells in disease tissues in human and animal models.

Part 2

Obstacles to progress

Although almost all news about pharmacogenomics is encouraging, there are still some factors hindering the development of this field.

Experiments conducted in animal models may not always predict human responses, obtaining sufficient patient samples, and social and ethical considerations related to patient privacy may limit the participation of certain groups.

The risks and costs associated with pharmacogenomics research are two important factors that limit who can conduct research or afford to implement such treatments.

The benefits of pharmacogenomics will be enormous. Future work will provide patients with more effective and safer drugs for personalized treatment, with the potential to extend lifespan or improve quality of life by limiting side effects and adverse reactions. Our concern is to ensure that we advance scientific development from an ethical perspective and ensure that everyone can benefit from and afford itTDr. Oci said.

Dr. Tocci serves as the Vice Dean of Research at the New Jersey Center for Science, Technology, and Mathematics at Kean University, assisting in overseeing STEM degree education. In these degree programs, they adopt a multidisciplinary approach to teaching science, integrating biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science into the curriculum.

STEM programs provide students with the opportunity to learn problem-solving through experiencing science in the laboratory rather than just through textbooks. STEM students can work with faculty and staff to research questions that we don't know the answers to.

The current research includes studies on cancer biology to better understand biomarkers; Research on medicinal chemistry to understand how to prevent cancer cell metastasis; And research on genomics to understand how drugs interact with gene products.

Perspective, industry analysis, opportunities are everywhere!