Abstract
The complete sequencing of the human genome will bring the paradigm shift in drug discovery and development and new diagnosis and treatment of disease. Genetic determinants of drug response include polymorphisms that affect drug absorption, distribution (targeting), metabolism, excretion and receptor activation. Knowing the main genetic determinants of drug response allows us to design drugs acting at target molecules (proteins/genes) critical for disease progression, and to select the most appropriate drug. Under such circumstances, pharmaceutical scientists (particularly, scientists in DMPK (drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic) ) should have further responsibility to apply appropriately the new scientific outputs obtained in the structural and functional analyses of genomics to the discovery and development of new medicines. Taking my efforts to develop the extrapolation methods of pharmacokinetic properties based on in vitro measurements with the use of human tissues and enzymes/transporters expression systems as examples, I would like to share with you my idea on what kind of efforts we DMPK scientists should make in the new millennium. It is also unanimously important for us to educate younger generation so that they can have flexible spirits of challenging new research area and of creating the new areas of science not sticking to the conventional scientific concepts and tools.
