Purpose of review: Pharmacogenomics (PGx) of antipsychotic drug response is an active area of research in the past few years. We reviewed recent PGx studies with an emphasis of development of new methodologies and new research directions.
Recent findings: Traditional candidate gene approach continues to generate evidence to support the associations of antipsychotic response with genes coding for drug targets such as DRD2. Genome-wide association studies have found a few novel genes that may be associated with drug efficacy and adverse events. Recent application of polygenic risk score makes it possible to combine many genetic variants to predict clinical response. Finally, epigenetic research including DNA methylation is emerging and promises new findings that potentially can be applied in clinical practice. New methodologies may advance PGx closer to clinical application. Multiple genes and epigenomic markers can be used in prediction of clinical phenotypes.
Keywords: Adverse reactions; Antipsychotics; Pharmacogenomics; Schizophrenia; Treatment response.