Did you know that over 100,000 die each year because of drug reactions? Three million more are in danger of overdose when given the standard amount of medicine. Different people with the same condition often react adversely to the same drug. Many things, including your diet, age, and physical shape can affect the way your body reacts to medicines and drugs, but have you ever thought about blaming your genes? Your genes produce protein, which cause different reactions to medicines. Pharmacogenetics is the study of how people respond differently to medicines and drugs because of their genes. The goal of pharmacogenetics is to prescribe a patient with the right about of medicine with the minimum amount of side affects.
Pharmacogenetics finds its roots in DNA. Scientists study DNA genomes, which are a rung of DNA including its genes and all of its nitrogen bases. The nitrogen bases, which are attached to deoxyribose (sugar) molecules and phosphate on a twisted rung, determine which traits you have depending on the sequence. The nitrogen bases are a combination of adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine; adenine corresponds to thymine, while guanine corresponds to cytosine. The order of these pairs determines which proteins are produced. Proteins are the molecules that help break down and absorb medicine; they also create traits and control body cells.
Pharmacogenetics is a relatively new field of science that expands everyday. Although it was first identified in the 1950’s, the history of pharmacogenetics can be traced far back to 510 B.C., “…when Pythagoras noted that ingestion of fava beans resulted in a potentially fatal reaction in some, but not all, individuals,” (Pirmohamed). Additional research during the Korean War ”...show...
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...isease. In addition, Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital is currently trying to test each patient for genetic variation. Though progress is slow, pharmacogenetics is growing everyday as new discoveries take root.
In summary, pharmacogenetics will revolutionize the medicine industry, providing consumers with safe, efficient medicine. By studying inherited characteristics, scientists can decipher which medicines will affect whom. The millions of people who suffer from drug reactions can be spared; new drugs and right doses will advert away from those reactions. Not only does DNA make you unique, but it also dictates how you live your life, from what medicine you take to what diseases you will contract. By further educating yourself and others around you about pharmacogenetics, you can prevent drug reactions and understand why a medicine affects you the way it does.
In conclusion, it is important for nurses to have proper training and information in the area of genetics and genomics so that it can be used in daily clinical practice (Thompson & Brooks, 2011). Using this information with clients and conducting a detailed genetic nursing assessment is a valuable component of being an effective health care provider and can help clients recognize, prevent, and/or treat diseases that are unique to their particular
In 1990, the first great stride of genetics took place. This was called the Human Genome Project, a large-scale operation that was designed to understand the human genome (genetic structure). Since its commencement, there have been many leaps and bounds that have taken place. For certain genetic issues that we once knew nothing about, we no...
Volkows, N. D., & Muenke, M. (2012). Human Genetics. The genetics of addiction, Vol 131(6), 773-777. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00439-012-1173-3
The ultimate goal of pharmacogenomics, as stated by Henig, “would be for everyone’s genome to be analyzed indi...
Genetics can predetermine many things for an individual but health and prevention can aid in the prevention of the expression of some genes. This is why it is important for healthcare providers to promote their patient’s awareness of what he or she is at risk for so that they can live the healthiest life possible. It is much easier to prevent a disease than it is to cure one. As healthcare providers it is our responsibility to cure illnesses, sure, but more importantly it is our responsibility to prevent disease and increase our patient’s quality of
...hich inherited traits, such as those for genetic disease, can be tracked over generations. Throughout out the course of human development, scientists will continue to find new new ways to help the human race through the discovery of the human gene inside of each of us, its uses, as well as complications, that can help the survival of our species.
The use of genetic sequencing in the medical field has innumerable possibilities; genomic medicine, as this new field is now called, will enable the human race to make immense advances in understanding how our genetic heredity makes us susceptible to some illnesses and immune to others. The detection of diseases with a high rate of heredity is just one facet of the gem that is genomics; once researchers are able to map out all of the vital components and rare alleles that sometimes play a large factor in disease, it will be possible to target these specific gene combinations, functional elements, and alleles. Because of the fact that protein, produced by our cells’ ribosomes, has an effect on the pathways that help express our inherited traits, it is important that we understand the relationship between DNA and protein, and how this affects the phenotype of an individual’s genetic attributes. For example, sickle-cell anemia is caused by a flaw in one nitrogenous base sequence in DNA. This flaw then translates into RNA, then into amino acids that determine the phenotype that the subject will have. The discrepancy in something as minute as a nitrogenous base and one amino acid makes the difference between a healthy, normal life and a life ...
In April 2003, researchers successfully completed the Human Genome Project, more than two years ahead of schedule. The Human Genome Project has already led to the discovery of more than 1,800 genes that cause disease (“NIH Fact Sheets…”). As a result of the Human Genome Project, researchers can find a gene suspected of causing an inherited disease in a matter of days, rather than the years it would have taken before. “One major step was the development of the HapMap. The HapMap is a catalog of common genetic differences in the human genome. The HapMap has accelerated the search for genes that have a say in common human disease, and have already produced results in finding genetic factors involved in conditions ranging from age-related blindness to obesity”(NIH Fact Sheet). The Can...
The age of genetic technology has arrived. Thanks to genetic technological advancements, medical practitioners, with the help of genetic profiling, will be able to better diagnose patients and design individual tailored treatments; doctors will be able to discern which medications and treatments will be most beneficial and produce the fewest adverse side effects. Rationally designed vaccines have been created to provide optimal protection against infections. Food scientists have hopes of genetically altering crops to increase food production, and therefore mitigate global hunger. Law enforcement officers find that their job is made easier through the advancement of forensics; forensics is yet another contribution of genetic technology. Doctors have the ability to identify “high-risk” babies before they are born, which enables them to be better prepared in the delivery room. Additionally, oncologists are able to improve survival rates of cancer patients by administering genetically engineered changes in malignant tumors; these changes result in an increased immune response by the individual. With more than fifty years of research, and billions of dollars, scientists have uncovered methods to improve and prolong human life and the possibilities offered by gene therapy and genetic technology are increasing daily.
Kalliolias, George D., Athanasios G. Papavassiliou, and Gerasimos P. Sykiotis. "Pharmacogenetic principles in the hippocratic writings." Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 45.11 (2005): 1218+. Academic OneFile. Web. 30 Apr. 2014
It is important to consider how addiction to drugs begins. “Genetics accounts for approximately half of an individual’s vulnerability to addiction, including effects of the environment on gene function and expression” (Volkow). This basically means that once a person is exposed to drugs, they are more likely to become addicted to drugs after that exposure if their genes make them more vulnerable to addiction. Consequently, not every person who is exposed to drugs will develop an addiction because they do not have the genetic make-up that makes them an addictive person, meaning that: “…predisposing genes interact with [exposure to drugs] and other environmental factors to create vulnerability” (Volkow). People cannot change their genetic make-up to prevent themselves from becoming addicted to drugs. They can only limit their exposure to a drug filled...
Genetics & Personalized Medicine. (2013). University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Retrieved on February 3, 2014 from: http://www.ottawaheart.ca/research_discovery/genetics-personalized-medicine.htm
Parents now have the possibility of testing genes for mutations and genetic problems (BBC News).
Sturgess, Jessica E., et al. "Pharmacogenetics Of Alcohol, Nicotine And Drug Addiction Treatments." Addiction Biology 16.3 (2011): 357-376. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
The scientific and medical progress of DNA as been emense, from involving the identification of our genes that trigger major diseases or the creation and manufacture of drugs to treat these diseases. DNA has many significant uses to society, health and culture of today. One important area of DNA research is that used for genetic and medical research. Our abi...