Translating pharmacogenomic research to therapeutic potentials

Predicting an individual patient’s response to drug therapy has long been a goal of precision medicine in every therapeutic area. The mapping of the human genome and subsequent advancements in genetic technology had raised the public expectation that precision drug therapy would come sooner than later. However, most stakeholders involved in drug development and clinical decision-making would agree that achieving this goal remains years, if not decades, away. Application of genomic findings and technologies in clinical practice and drug development require addressing the logistics and challenges at multiple levels that go beyond discovery of gene variants and/or completion of prospective controlled clinical trials. The goal of precision medicine can only be achieved with all stakeholders in the field working together, and occasionally accepting a paradigm change in their current approach.