Question

You have studied pharmacogenomics and work in a hospital where a highly potent yet experimental drug is being tested on cancer patients. After a few weeks, only a few patients seem to have their tumors shrunken in size. What would be your next course of action?

• A. Try a higher dosage of drug
• B. Try a different drug altogether
• C. Understand the genetic disposition of the patients who had positive result
• D. Help create a new drug that works with varying genetic disposition

Answer 1

Answer: (C), (D)

Help create a new drug that works with varying genetic disposition

Trying a higher dosage of the drug may help a few patients but may be lethal to others. The same is true when another drug is used.
Pharmacogenomics is the the branch of genetics which deals with determining the likely response of an individual to therapeutic drugs.
In genetic diagnostic testing, specific molecular assays that measure levels of proteins or genes or specific mutations are used to stratify disease status, select from among different medications and tailor dosages, thereby providing a specific therapy for an individual's condition.