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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 90/3/283    most recent expphysiol.2004.028506v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Johnson, J. A. Articles by Cavallari, L. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Johnson, J. A. Articles by Cavallari, L. H. Related Collections Themed Issue papers Cardiovascular control

¹ UF Center for Pharmacogenomics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA² University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

There is large interpatient variability in the response to drugs, including cardiovascular drugs. Thus, while some patients achieve the desired therapeutic response from their drug therapy, others do not. There is also a subset of patients who will experience adverse effects, which can range from bothersome to life threatening. Research in recent years has provided compelling evidence that in many cases, genetics contributes importantly to this variable drug response. Thus, pharmacogenomics is a field focused on unravelling the genetic determinants of variable drug response. Examples from the literature of genetic associations with drug efficacy and toxicity are described to provide insight into the field, including the roles of genetic variability in drug-metabolizing enzymes and drug targets. There is also a detailed discussion of the experimental approaches used in cardiovascular pharmacogenomics. Current research is largely focused on a limited candidate gene approach, which allows for description of significant genetic associations with variable response, but often does not explain the genetic basis of variable drug response enough to be useful clinically. As such, there is a move towards genome-wide approaches, and the various technologies available to obtain genomic data are discussed. Cardiovascular pharmacogenomics has the potential for leading to improvements in the use of cardiovascular drug therapy, through selection of the most appropriate drug therapy in an individual based on their genetic information. It will probably be a decade or more before genetic information is widely used in drug therapy decisions, but it seems clear that important findings in the area will continue to expand and the experimental approaches will continue to evolve.

(Received 18 November 2004; accepted after revision 1 February 2005; first published online 18 March 2005)
Corresponding author J. A. Johnson: UF Center for Pharmacogenomics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. Email: johnson{at}cop.ufl.edu

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