The study of pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics focuses on how our genes and complex gene systems influence our response to drugs. Recent progress in the science of clinical therapeutics has led to the discovery of new biomarkers that make it technically easier to identify groups of patients which are more or less likely to respond to individual therapies. The aim is to improve personalised medicine - not simply to prescribe the right medicine, but to deliver the right drug at the right dose at the right time. This textbook brings together contributions from leading experts to discuss the latest information on how human genetics impacts drug response phenotypes. It presents not only the basic principles of pharmacogenetics, but also clinically valuable examples that cover a broad range of specialties and therapeutic areas. The first section of the book outlines critical concepts in pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics, including genetic testing, genotyping technologies, and adverse drug effects. The next section discusses the legal, ethical, and social implications of pharmacogenomics. The second half of the book details many of the main therapeutic areas, including oncologic drugs, cardiovascular drugs, statins, drug-induced long QT syndrome, diabetes drugs, respiratory drugs, gastrointestinal drugs, rheumatoid arthritis drugs, obstetric drugs, psychiatric drugs, pain and anesthesia drugs, HIV and antiretroviral drugs, pediatrics, and fetal and neonatal medicine. This textbook is an invaluable introduction to pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics for health care professionals, medical students, pharmacy students, graduate students and researchers in the biosciences.

Russ Altman is Chairman of the Bioengineering Department and Professor of Bioengineering, Genetics, and Medicine at Stanford University. His primary research interests are in the application of computing technology to basic molecular biological problems of relevance to medicine.

 

David Flockhart is the Harry and Edith Gladstein Chair in Cancer Genomics and Professor of Medicine, Medical Genetics and Pharmacology at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. He is also the Director of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology. His research is focused on clinically relevant applications of pharmacogenetics and drug interactions.

 

David Goldstein is the Richard and Pat Johnson Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Center for Human Genome Variation at Duke University. He is also Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Duke. His principal interests include human genetic diversity, the genetics of disease and pharmacogenetics.