Genomics and Drug Toxicity

As genomics has revolutionized the study of biology, so has it affected how drugs are discovered. Pharmaceutical companies have also realized another major application: how drugs are assessed for safety. The analysis of gene expression profiles is now actively used alongside conventional toxicological assays to assess drug safety. Such toxicogenomic analysis is being used to predict drug toxicities and to gain a more in-depth understanding of toxic mechanisms, so that more successful drug candidates can be selected.