Translating single nucleotide polymorphism tests from clinical research to clinical practice

From the viewpoint of a research scientist the final stage of a pharmacogenomics project may be a publication demonstrating that the presence of a particular single nucleotide polymorphism influences the likelihood of responding to a particular drug treatment. Although, from a research perspective this is an end point, it is merely the start point for the process of moving the association into a fully validated and widely available pharmacodiagnostic assay. The translation from clinical research to clinical practice is a complex process involving a number of stakeholders and encompassing scientific, clinical, technological, commercial, regulatory, and educational issues.