Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics

The complete sequencing of the human genome in 2000, along with new technologies, such as DNA microarrays, for analyzing human genes on a genome-wide scale, provides scientists with the tools to study the molecular basis of diseases on a level and scale that previously had not been possible. Pharmacogenomics is a biomedical science that aims to use this knowledge to tailor drug therapies based on patients' individual genetic makeup. Doctors hope to use pharmacogenomics to develop safer and more effective medical treatments. For some diseases, this promise has already been realized.