Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Dec 3:13:1177392819886875.
doi: 10.1177/1177392819886875. eCollection 2019.

Basic Concepts in Genetics and Pharmacogenomics for Pharmacists

Affiliations
Review

Basic Concepts in Genetics and Pharmacogenomics for Pharmacists

Kathleen B Orrico. Drug Target Insights. .

Abstract

This basic review of genetic principles will aid pharmacists in preparing for their eventual role of translating gene-drug associations into clinical practice. Genes, which are stretches of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) contained on the 23 pairs of human chromosomes, determine the size and shape of every protein a living organism builds. Variation in pharmacogenes which encode for proteins central to drug action and toxicity serves as the basis of pharmacogenomics (PGx). Important online resources such as PharmGKB.org, cpicpgx.org, and PharmVar.org provide the clinician with curated and summarized PGx associations and clinical guidelines. As genetic testing becomes increasingly affordable and accessible, the time is now for pharmacists to embrace PGx-guided medication selection and dosing to personalize and improve the safety and efficacy of drug therapy.

Keywords: personalized medicine; pharmacogenetics; pharmacogenomics; pharmacogenomics knowledge base.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests:The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Double helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Source: Genetics Home Reference.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The structure of a human chromosome. DNA indicates deoxyribonucleic acid. Source: Genetics Home Reference.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Genetics Home Reference. What is pharmacogenomics? Bethesda, MD: US National Library of Medicine; https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/genomicresearch/pharmacogenomics. Updated July 16, 2019. Accessed August 6, 2019.
    1. All about the Human Genome Project (HGP). Washington, DC: National Institutes of Health, National Human Genome Research Institute; https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project. Updated January 9, 2019. Accessed September 1, 2019.
    1. Venter JC, Adams MD, Myers EW, et al. The sequence of the human genome. Science. 2001;291:1304-1351. - PubMed
    1. The Human Proteome Project. Vancouver, BC, Canada: Human Proteome Organization; https://hupo.org/human-proteome-project/. Updated 2016. Accessed September 1, 2019.
    1. Genetics Home Reference. What is DNA? Bethesda, MD: US National Library of Medicine; https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/basics/dna. Updated August 20, 2019. Accessed September 2, 2019.