Center for Pharmacogenetics

Director’s Message


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Welcome to the Website of the Center for Pharmacogenetics, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh. The Center was established in July 1999, to advance research and training in pharmacogenetics and related disciplines. The human genome project is completed. We only know the function of about 2,000 out of the 30,000 genes in the human genome. The sequences of this vast number of new genes should translate into understandings of the genetic basis of human disease, new treatment for the disease and the discovery of new drugs. The Center has positioned itself to meet the challenge of this post-genomic era. In particular, choice of drug and the dosage regimen shall be more accurate if we know more about the patient’s genetic makeup for drug metabolism, absorption, transport, and elimination. Such individualized medicine will revolutionize the way medicine is practiced. Furthermore, mouse genetics, such as the creation of transgenic and gene knockout mice, have greatly accelerated our way to understand the gene function and mechanism of disease genesis, progression and treatment. As gene therapy techniques mature, treating a disease by introducing a gene or oligonucleotide into the diseased cells will soon become a reality in medicine. We will be happy to share our vision and activity with you. Please drop us a line by emailing us. Thanks for visiting the site.

Sincerely,

Wen Xie, MD, PhD
The Joseph Koslow Endowed Chair in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacology
Center for Pharmacogenetics