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Developmental pharmacogenetics: a general paradigm for application to neonatal pharmacology and toxicology

J S Leeder1

  • 1Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Medical Toxicology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics and School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA. sleeder@cmh.edu

Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
|October 30, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Newborn infant therapy faces unique challenges. Pharmacogenomics can predict individual risks from in utero exposures, but identifying specific genetic and non-genetic factors remains crucial.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal medicine
  • Pharmacogenomics
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Therapy in newborns presents unique challenges due to fetal exposure to medications and environmental contaminants.
  • In utero exposures can lead to congenital malformations, adverse drug reactions, or unknown long-term health consequences in newborns.
  • Individual risk for adverse outcomes is not uniform and is influenced by a combination of factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the challenges in newborn infant therapy.
  • To introduce the principles of pharmacogenomics in predicting individual risk.
  • To emphasize the need for identifying specific genetic and non-genetic factors contributing to increased risk in newborns.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on neonatal drug therapy and fetal exposure.
  • Application of pharmacogenomic principles to understand individual variability in risk.
  • Discussion of the challenges in identifying specific risk factors.

Main Results:

  • Fetal exposure to medications and environmental contaminants poses significant risks to newborns.
  • Pharmacogenomic principles offer a framework for predicting individual susceptibility to these risks.
  • Identifying specific genetic and non-genetic factors is essential for personalized risk assessment.

Conclusions:

  • Neonatal therapy requires careful consideration of potential in utero exposures.
  • Pharmacogenomics holds promise for tailoring treatments and mitigating risks in newborns.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the specific genetic and environmental factors influencing neonatal outcomes.

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