Many of the drug treaments
presented on these pages can produce very negative results in some patients.
In fact, as discussed in the Schizophrenic page, May et al (1977) states
that the possible side effects of some drug treatments are not worth the
possible benefits.
This have been true in the
past, and may still be true currently, though the future holds new promises.
Pharmacogenetics refers to
the study of genes to determine more effective drug therapies.
In this new field, scientists hope to gain a better understanding of the
expression and interaction of genes and proteins.
By doing so, scientists may be able to determine which protein targets
produce adverse effects, and which produce the desired effects (Staddon et al,
2002). Once the target proteins are
identified, drugs can be manufactured that only affect the target protein.
Because the genome varies
from person to person, one person may have a different reaction to a drug than
another person. This may be due to
metabolism rates, or to protein expression in the cells.
Pharmacogenetics deals with these problems by creating “tailored”
drug treatments that match these differing factors.
Return to the Schizophrenia, Alcoholism, or Other Substances
Return to Megan's Behavioral Genomics Homepage
Return to Megan's Genomics Homepage
Davidson College Psychology Department
© Copyright 2002 Department of Psychology,
Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28036
Send comments, questions, and suggestions to: meshafer@davidson.edu