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Prenatal pharmacogenomics: a promising area for research

The Pharmacogenomics Journal volume 16, pages 303–304 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Clinical applications of prenatal genetic screening currently focus on detection of aneuploidy and other genetic diseases in the developing fetus. Growing evidence suggests that the fetal genome may also be informative about fetal exposures through contributions to placental transport as well as placental and fetal metabolism. Possible clinical applications of prenatal pharmacogenomic screening include prospective optimization of medication selection and dosage, as well as retrospective assessment of whether a fetus was previously exposed to significant risk. Newly available noninvasive methods of prenatal genetic screening mean that relevant fetal genotypes could be made available to obstetricians for use in management of a current pregnancy. This promising area for research merits more attention than it has thus far received.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by grant # U01 GM092676 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Institutes of Health and grant #U10 HD047892 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development and the National Institutes of Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development or the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Institute for Public Health Genetics, Seattle, WA, USA

    E H Dorfman

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    E Y Cheng

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    E Y Cheng

  4. Department of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    M F Hebert

  5. Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    K E Thummel

  6. Department of Bioethics and Humanities, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    W Burke

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  1. E H Dorfman
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  2. E Y Cheng
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  5. W Burke
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Correspondence to W Burke.

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Dorfman, E., Cheng, E., Hebert, M. et al. Prenatal pharmacogenomics: a promising area for research. Pharmacogenomics J 16, 303–304 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/tpj.2016.33

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/tpj.2016.33

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