Pharmacogenomics is a branch of medicine under precision medicine that studies the genetic composition of patients to understand how it might respond to certain treatments and medications. This test is done by a swab test that involves collecting samples of saliva, cheek swab or blood.
This individual gene testing enables physicians to tailor effective personalized treatment suitable for particular genetic composition. As a result, it saves a lot of time for correct diagnosis as well as treatment. This also reduces the chances of adverse side effects, recurring diseases and readmissions.
1. Cancer Treatment
Pharmacogenomics plays an important role in oncology. Chemotherapy involves adverse side effects and affects patients differently. These side effects are the most life threatening conditions for maximum cancer patients.
Pharmacogenomics is instrumental in the study of genetic reactions of patients with the drugs helping oncologists to provide gene suitable medications to reduce the side effects of certain drugs and to prescribe effective medications.
2. Treatment for Depression
Depression and other psychological disorders are on the rise due to the fast pace of life in today’s world. Large number of patients require daily antidepressant medications. However, since conventional treatment is still based on trial and error procedures treatment gets delayed exacerbating patients’ condition.
Pharmacogenomics is the key in solving this problem. Pre-treatment pharmacogenomic testing helps to understand the genetic composition and genetic metabolism and how it might work with certain antidepressant drugs. This information helps to narrow down the medication option even though it can inform exactly which drugs are going to work.
3. Diabetes Treatment
Diabetes is a burning concern for physicians across the globe. Gene polymorphism is responsible for adverse effects of anti-diabetic drugs in patients. Pharmacogenomics has been proven as an effective solution to this problem.
Pharmacogenomics allow physicians to conduct individualized drug therapy by analyzing patients’ genetic metabolism and provide precision medicine for diabetic patients. Recent studies provided evidence of successful applications of pharmacogenomic testing for diabetic treatment.
4. Cardiovascular Disease Treatment
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of global mortality and disability concerning the healthcare providers. In the USA, every year around 650,000 people die due to heart diseases. There are a range of cardiovascular diseases including, coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, cerebrovascular disease and many such serious conditions.
However, CVD drug response varies greatly from patient to patients leading to non-satisfactory results and exacerbation of patient conditions. Pharmacogenomic testing is proving a boon for cardiovascular disease patients.Â
5. Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a bone disorder in which due to decreased bone density patients experience severe pain, immobility and even fractures. Women are more susceptible to this disease since women’s bone density decreases after the age 30. This is highly hereditary. The drug response of osteoporosis patients is highly variable. Pharmacogenomic is the only solution which can provide personalized solutions based on individual genetic composition.
Lack of Awareness: A Major Challenge
The present challenge is that many people are not aware of the benefits of pharmacogenomics and on how it works. People have different and unique genetic coding mechanisms that code enzymes. These enzymes are responsible for breaking down medication. How well a medicine would work depends on the ability and pace of the enzymes to break it down.
Thus, if a medicine does not work then physicians need to try out different treatment options. Instead, conducting pharmacogenomic testing before starting a treatment helps physicians to eliminate the trial and error methods and start straight with the actual treatment.
As the field is growing exponentially day by day, it is important to discuss the role of pharmacogenomics in treating the top five medical conditions concerning us today.
Endnotes
Pharmacogenomics is an emerging field of precision medicine and is a game changer in modern medicine. Patients must avail this treatment more and more to get the optimum result in the shortest possible time. It saves cost in the long run and proves best quality solutions.
