‫حــمن الْــَرحيــم‬

ْ ‫سـِم ال الّر‬
ْ ‫بِــ‬

Applications of Biotechnology
(Pharmacogenomics as an example)
:Prepared by
Alshimaa Mahmood
 Outline
 Pharmacogenomics Definition.
 Single nucleotide polymorphisms )SNP(.
 People different responses to medications.
 Personalized medicine concept.
 anticipated benefits of Pharmacogenomics.
 Ethical Issues concerning Pharmacogenomics
techniques.
 What is
”? “Pharmacogenomics
Pharmacogenomics is the study of how an individual's genetic-
.inheritance affects the body's response to drugs

The term comes from the words pharmacology and genomics-

.and is thus the intersection of pharmaceuticals and genetics
 Definitions

Pharmacogenomics is a key term, referring to the use of

information about the genome to develop drugs.
While Pharmacogenetics is also used to describe the
study of the ways genomic variations affect drug
responses.

The variations affecting treatment response may involve a

single gene (and the protein it encodes) or multiple
genes/proteins.

Thus, Pharmacogenomics combines traditional

pharmaceutical sciences (like biochemistry), with the
knowledge of genes, proteins, and single nucleotide
polymorphisms.
(SNP)
?What is SNP
Single nucleotide polymorphisms
)(SNP

).One type of difference in DNA between people are (SNPs

SNPs (pronounced “snips”) are DNA sequence variations that
occur when a single nucleotide - A, T, C or G - in the genome is
changed, producing different alleles (meaning sequences that
).code for the same gene

Common SNPs only have two alleles. For example, ATCGATCG

.and ATCAATCG represent two alleles: G and A

These small variations in DNA sequence make up approximately

90% of all human genetic variation and occur every 100 to 300
.bases along the 3-billion-base human genome
 People often vary in their response to the same medicine-
Some medicines are not effective for everyone; others may-
cause some patients to suffer adverse side-effects or even
. death
 For example, some painkillers work only when body proteins
convert them from an inactive form to an active one.
How well these proteins do their jobs varies considerably
between people.
As another example, tiny genetic differences can change how
drugs work to lower blood cholesterol levels. These different
responses may be partly due to our different genetic make-
up.
And Pharmacogenomics aims to improve the efficacy and also
.the safety of prescribing medicines to suit everyone
Pharmacogenomics holds the promise that drugs might one
day be tailor-made for individuals and adapted to each
person's own genetic makeup.
Environment, diet, age, lifestyle, and state of health all can
influence a person's response to medicines, but
understanding an individual's genetic makeup is thought to
be the key to creating personalized drugs with greater
efficacy and safety.
 Personalized Medicine
Using data acquired in functional genomics, we will be
able to identify genetic differences that predispose
patients to adverse reactions to certain drugs or make
them good subjects for other drugs.
In the future, our individual genetic information will be
used to prevent disease, choose medicines and make
other critical decisions about health.
This is personalized medicine, and it could
revolutionize healthcare, making it safer, more cost-
effective and, most importantly, more clinically
effective.
Personalized medicine
 Knowing the molecular details allows physicians to diagnose
how far the disease has progressed and design an
appropriate therapy. And Biotechnology researchers are
interested in the use of gene-based tests to match patients
with optimal drugs and drug dosages.

 This concept of personalized medicine-also called targeted

therapy-is beginning to have a powerful impact on research
and treatment, especially in cancer.
What are the anticipated benefits
?of Pharmacogenomics
More Powerful Medicines-1

Pharmaceutical companies will be able to create drugs based on

the proteins, enzymes, and RNA molecules associated with
.genes and diseases

This will facilitate drug discovery and allow drug makers to

produce a therapy more targeted to specific diseases. This
accuracy not only will maximize therapeutic effects but also
. decrease damage to nearby healthy cells
 .Better, Safer Drugs the First Time-2

More Accurate Methods of Determining Appropriate Drug-3

.Dosages

.Advanced Screening for Disease-4

 .Better Vaccines-5

Improvements in the Drug Discovery and Approval-6

.Process

Decrease in the Overall Cost of-7

.Health Care
 Some ethical Issues
Could the development of medicines for specific groups of the-1
? population exclude others

Will the development of unprofitable, but desirable, medicines-2

?be neglected

?Who will have access to genetic information and databases-3

 Pharmacogenetics, the study of the extent to which genetic
differences influence the response of individuals to medicines,
.is still at an early stage in its development

Claims of personalized prescriptions may be unrealistic, but it is

not too early to consider possible applications of this new area
. of study as well as ethical and legal issues which may arise
References
 http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/health/pharma/
snips/
 http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?tip=1&id=3960
 http://www.highlighthealth.com/resources/genomic-
medicine-an-educational-resource-from-helix-health/
 http://www.actionbioscience.org/genomic/barash.html
 http://www.arabmedmag.com/general/isuue-30-11-2005/gen
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacogenetics
 Guide to Biotechnology 2007, The Guide to
Biotechnology is compiled by the Biotechnology
Industry Organization )BIO(. Debbie Strickland, BIO,
Director of Marketing, Editor
: Further Readings
 Personalized Medicine: The Emerging Pharmacogenomics
Revolution. Price Waterhouse Coopers explains how personalized
medicine can remake the pharmaceutical industry and the
challenges to realizing that vision. Available for downloading on
http://www.pwc.com. Published February 2005.

 Personalized Medicine: Hopes and Realities. This Royal Society

report provides a thorough overview of scientific, development and
clinical issues in personalized medicine. Available for downloading at
http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk (select Adobe Acrobat Reader to
 open). Published September 2005.
For any inquiries and
: comments

Alshimaa Mahmood
Dissimilar.bt@gmail.com
http://www.biotechnologyarabic.blogspot.com

Regards