Abstract
Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genes affect a person's response to drugs. This relatively new field combines pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and their functions) to develop effective, safe medications and doses that will be tailored to a person's genetic makeup. Warfarin is the most widely used oral anticoagulant in the world for patients with venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, chronic atrial fibrillation, and prosthetic heart valves. However, warfarin is difficult to use because of the wide interindividual variation in dose requirements, the narrow therapeutic range and the risk of serious bleeding. Genetic variants in the cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) and vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKORC1) were reported to correlate with warfarin sensitivity. Genotyping of CYP2C9 and VKORC1 is a quite useful predictor for warfarin effects and safety.
In this paper, I showed basic pharmacogenomics research and its clinical applications in antithrombic therapy.
