Question

8. Explain how SNP genotyping can improve patient outcomes when prescribing drugs.

Answer 1

In the near future, we may observe personalized medications to patients based on their genome sequence.
Due to the advent of next-gen sequencing, it has become possible to sequence the entire genome very quickly. The advances in bioinformatics tools allow us to find SNPs/variations in the genome. With this information, we can find out deleterious alleles and take necessary precautions or treatment.
If we know the presence of a particular allele/SNP, we can prescribe a specific drug.
Different mutations in a gene can have different levels of effect. For example, drugs that inhibit the phenotype of a loss of function mutation cannot be used for a gain of function allele. So, we can analyze and find out the exact SNP associated with the given condition. This allows us to prescribe personalized and effective medication.a