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Pharmacogenomics (PGx) is the study of the genetic basis of variability among individuals in response to drugs. It is the newest discipline of medicine and is becoming a very active area of research, with the pharmaceutical industry gaining experience applying it, integrating it into the drug ...

The rare monogenic diseases provide the most clearly evident examples of pathology resulting from a single genetic lesion. As such, they are in some sense the “low hanging fruit” for the application of pharmacogenomic therapeutic approaches. These quite often serious diseases, while st ...

Genetic diversity, together with specific environmental exposures, contributes to both disease susceptibility and interindividual variability in response to drugs. It has proven difficult to isolate disease genes that confer susceptibility to complex disorders, and as a con ...

This chapter is intended to provide an overview of the operational considerations and potential obstacles that can be anticipated during the implementation of pharmacogenomic research in clinical trials. Particular attention is given to the elements of the protocol and of the infor ...

The use of pharmacogenomic information has opened new opportunities in drug discovery and development. The FDA has undertaken several initiatives to promote and exchange ideas in the field of pharmacogenomics as a key opportunity for the critical path. In this chapter, a regulatory scie ...

The last decade has seen the increasing use of genetics and genomics tools in the pharmaceutical industry, and much of this use has been in the drug discovery process. These tools are now becoming part of the standard discovery armamentarium and are being used across a range of areas from novel target id ...

Despite some initial resistance, pharmacogenomics is now finding widespread use and application throughout all phases of clinical drug development in many pharmaceutical companies. Applications, feasibility, and deliverables of phar-macogenomic studies are largely d ...

This chapter briefly describes the physiological neural mechanisms by which diverse neurotransmitter receptor systems control several aspects of gastrointestinal functions such as motility, secretion, feeding, and emesis. The current techniques used to study the effects of ...

The mouse isolated vas deferens is a nerve-smooth muscle preparation that serves as a highly sensitive and quantitative functional in vitro bioassay for cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonists. Additionally, it is commonly used as a bioassay for competitive surmountable CB1 receptor ant ...

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States, with 14.6 million current users. Cannabis-dependent individuals presenting for treatment typically report cannabis craving; however, the phenomenon has received little research attention. In the absence of a valid, m ...

Better scientific understanding of cannabis effects and the development of treatments for cannabis dependence require clinical studies involving cannabis administration. Cannabis can be administered by smoking a plant-derived cigarette or by oral or intravenous adminis ...

This chapter summarizes the methods and results of studies in which the author examined the acute or chronic effects of marijuana on human associative processes and memory. Eleven tests used to assess marijuana’s effects on associative processes, semantic memory, and episodic memory are ...

This chapter summarizes the neurological approaches used to assess the potential long-term effects of drugs on the nervous system of drug abusers. These include the use of neuropsychological assessments, transcranial Doppler (TCD) sonography, and electroencephalographic ( ...

In the absence of any specific behavioral assay for cannabinoids or endocannabinoids, a cannabinoid-induced profile in a series of four in vivo assays in mice is most commonly used to assess a specific cannabinoid activity at the behavioral level. Thus, when a given compound produces motor dep ...

Behavioral and molecular methods were used to study and determine whether there is a link between depression that may be a factor in drug/alcohol addiction, and the endocannabinoid hypothesis of substance abuse. Depression is a lack of interest in the pleasurable things of life (termed anhe ...

The activation of NF-κB has been implicated in various forms of cancer. Thereafter, targeting NF-κB has been suggested for cancer therapy. Instant and accurate tools to monitor NF-κB activation are necessary for such drug screening. Currently, there are various assays available to study NF ...

Immunotoxins based on human and humanized ribonuclease may have potential for cancer therapy while exhibiting less toxic side effects and stimulating less of an immune response in humans than immunotoxins based on plant and bacterial toxins (1). Both recombinant RNase fusion proteins ...

Recent aggregation of evidence for the roles of endogenous agonist and receptor systems that are mimicked or activated by cannabanoid ligands has provided a focus for work that has elucidated details of some of the multiple physiological roles and pharmacological functions that these s ...

Marijuana components, such as Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and endogenous cannabinoids, such as anandamide and 2-arachydonoylglycerol, alter diverse immune functions. Two cannabinoid receptors have been discovered to date, the central cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) and the p ...

Two cannabinoid receptors have been identified to date. The first of these, designated CB1, is localized primarily in the central nervous system but is also present at lower levels in other tissues. The second receptor, CB2, has been found natively in cells of the immune system. Both receptors have an ...