[Tailor-made drug therapy]

Abstract

Progress in the field of pharmacogenetics has revealed that the phenotypically different responses of patients to drugs are genetically determined by the polymorphisms in the genes involved in their pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Information on genetic polymorphisms, including single nucleotide polymorphisms, found in the genes encoding drug-metabolizing enzymes, drug transporters, drug receptors, and so on, are now applicable to tailor-made(individualized) drug therapy. This report presents the current status of pharmacogenetic approaches to the individualized therapy.