The DNA of Pharmacy Education: CAPE Outcomes and Pharmacogenomics – Pharmacogenomics (PGx) is a rapidly evolving area of precision (i.e., personalized) medicine in which a patient’s genomic information is used to identify the safest and most effective treatment. While basic pharmacogenomic concepts have developed over the past 50 years, the pace of genomic research accelerated with the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003.1 Using the genomic “roadmap” developed by this initiative, researchers and clinicians were able to speed up the process of identifying millions of genetic variants/polymorphisms along the DNA template. Pharmacogenetic studies use these genetic variants/polymorphisms to identify their potential effects on individual patient drug response, disposition, and/or toxicity.
