Application of industrial scale genomics to discovery of therapeutic targets in heart failure.
In recent years intense activity in both academic and industrial sectors has provided a wealth of information on the human genome with an associated impressive increase in the number of novel gene sequences deposited in sequence data repositories and patent applications. This genomic industrial revolution has transformed the way in which drug target discovery is now approached. In this article we discuss how various differential gene expression (DGE) technologies are being utilized for cardiovascular disease (CVD) drug target discovery. Other approaches such as sequencing cDNA from cardiovascular derived tissues and cells coupled with bioinformatic sequence analysis are used with the aim of identifying novel gene sequences that may be exploited towards target discovery. Additional leverage from gene sequence information is obtained through identification of polymorphisms that may confer disease susceptibility and/or affect drug responsiveness. Pharmacogenomic studies are described wherein gene expression-based techniques are used to evaluate drug response and/or efficacy. Industrial-scale genomics supports and addresses not only novel target gene discovery but also the burgeoning issues in pharmaceutical and clinical cardiovascular medicine relative to polymorphic gene responses.
Mehraban
F
F
CuraGen Corporation, 555 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. fmehraba@curagen.com
Tomlinson
J E
JE
D030541:Databases, Genetic; D015195:Drug Design; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics*; D023281:Genomics; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009787:Occupational Medicine; D010597:Pharmacogenetics; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D016896:Treatment Outcome