Published on October 8, 2010 at 1:54 AM
Once they have mapped the connections between genetic expression and different medications, explains Dr. Shomron, he and his team of researchers will create a comprehensive database to help physicians make important decisions regarding patient care. This database will be available to clinicians around the world. In the future, when physicians decide to administer a drug, he says, they will be able to scan the patient's genome and decide which medication is best to prescribe as well as its optimal dosage.
A prescription for the future
"One day, people will be able to have their whole genome sequenced and their gene and microRNA expression mapped, and this will become a part of their medical file," he says. "They will be able to bring this information with them from doctor to doctor, much like an x-ray." This will also help doctors understand how different drugs combine when a patient is taking one or more medications, which may avoid a toxic overload of chemicals.
Mostly, says Dr. Shomron, pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical companies need to comprehend the scope of microRNA's involvement in personalized medicine in order to take advantage of this emerging scientific field. He hopes to accelerate this understanding.
Source: American Friends of Tel Aviv University