Personalized medicine.

Personalized medicine simply means the prescription of specific therapeutics best suited for an individual based on pharmacogenetic and pharmacogenomic information. The basis of personalized medicine are reviewed. Several technologies are used including single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping. haplotyping, gene expression studies by biochip/microarrays and proteomics. Molecular diagnostics will play an important role in the development of personalized medicine, in which therapy and diagnosis will be integrated. There are several examples of the personalized medical approach, which include genotype-based selection of patients for effective cancer therapy, to spare those who would not respond or would suffer undesirable side effects. Personalized therapy is financially feasible, as it will reduce the costs of drug development by shortening the drug development cycle. The introduction of pharmacogenomics into clinical trials is reducing the chances of failed clinical trials and increasing the prospects of safer and more effective therapies for specific groups of patients. Several advantages, as well as challenges to the development of personalized medicine are examined. Personalized medicine is anticipated to be an acceptable part of medical practice by the year 2010.