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The hunt for new genes and polymorphisms that can control the response to drugs
1Genetic Health Services Victoria, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. sheffld@cryptic.rch.unimelb.edu.au
Abstract:
There has been a great increase in the knowledge of understanding the genetic basis for individual variation in response to drugs. The study of variation in gene structure (polymorphism) can now predict the likely metabolic behavior in an individual for a number of drugs. This review documents the different strategies that can be used to find new genes and polymorphisms within these genes. Candidate genes can be used in case-control studies or studies where the parents of the person having an adverse effect from the drug are used as controls. New genes are being discovered in the drug development process and the technological development in molecular biology is expected to greatly enhance knowledge of the genes that regulate drug metabolism.