Which term describes the science that explains how inherited genetic differences influence individual responses to medications?

Which term describes the science that explains how inherited genetic differences influence individual responses to medications?

• A. Pharmacogenomics
• B. Toxicogenomics
• C. Pharmacokinetics
• D. Genomics

Answer: (A)

The concept being tested is how inherited genetic variation shapes how a person responds to medicines. The term that captures this is pharmacogenomics. It combines pharmacology and genomics to explain why DNA differences can alter drug metabolism, efficacy, and risk of adverse effects. For example, variations in drug‑metabolizing enzymes like the CYP family can make someone a rapid or slow metabolizer, changing drug levels and responses; other gene variants can influence how well a drug works or whether it triggers a hypersensitivity reaction. This field helps guide dosing and drug choice to improve safety and effectiveness. Pharmacokinetics, by contrast, focuses on how the body handles a drug conceptually—absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion—without inherently emphasizing genetic differences. Genomics is the broad study of the genome itself, not specifically tied to how genes affect responses to medications. Toxicogenomics investigates how gene expression responds to toxic exposures, which is more about toxic effects than therapeutic drug response.

The concept being tested is how inherited genetic variation shapes how a person responds to medicines. The term that captures this is pharmacogenomics. It combines pharmacology and genomics to explain why DNA differences can alter drug metabolism, efficacy, and risk of adverse effects. For example, variations in drug‑metabolizing enzymes like the CYP family can make someone a rapid or slow metabolizer, changing drug levels and responses; other gene variants can influence how well a drug works or whether it triggers a hypersensitivity reaction. This field helps guide dosing and drug choice to improve safety and effectiveness.

Pharmacokinetics, by contrast, focuses on how the body handles a drug conceptually—absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion—without inherently emphasizing genetic differences. Genomics is the broad study of the genome itself, not specifically tied to how genes affect responses to medications. Toxicogenomics investigates how gene expression responds to toxic exposures, which is more about toxic effects than therapeutic drug response.