Murine pharmacogenomics: using the mouse to understand the genetics of drug therapy

Pharmacogenomics seeks to understand the genetic basis of interindividual differences in drug disposition and effects. Differential drug response is likely to most often be a complex trait, in which multiple genes contribute with varying strengths to the therapeutic phenotype. Due to technical and economic limitations, pharmacogenomic studies in humans are mainly limited to a small number of candidate genes with relatively major influences on drug response. This review discusses the problems involved in mapping genes underlying drug response in humans and highlights the theoretical and applied uses of mouse genetics to address these important issues.