Genotyping Technologies

With the release of the Human Genome Mapping Project data (1) and the subsequent International HapMap Project (2), a wealth of genotype information is now publically available to researchers. Pharmacogenomics can utilize this information to its advantage by screening patient samples for known functional or tagging polymorphisms and deriving associations with drug outcome and toxicity. In addition, where no known functional polymorphisms have been identified in genes involved in drug pathways, technologies have emerged to perform whole-genome screens to find novel genome regions for further study.