TEHRAN –The first International Pharmacogenetics Congress of Iran will be held in Tehran from November 6 to 8.

Pharmacogenetics (also known as pharmacogenomics) is defined as the study of how genes affect a person’s response to drugs. This field combines pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and their functions) to develop effective, safe medications for each patient.

Pharmacogenetics is used for treating genetic illnesses. Currently, Iran is the frontrunner in this field in the region and a number of Iranian patients living abroad have been treated using Pharmacogenetics, IRNA reported.

The congress will be held at Razi Medical University, it is scheduled to cover 10 specialized panels, including children, glands and metabolism, women, as well as issues such as policymaking, management, planning, and insurance.

Some 60 noted professors of the country in various fields will attend the congress as the heads of the panels.

Pharmacogenetics is to recognize genetic variants that may influence drug efficacy and toxicity. Its main objective is to anticipate a patient’s genetic response to a particular drug as a way of presenting the best possible medical treatment. In other words, it develops a treatment that is personalized based on the patient’s genes to supply the proper drug within the right dose.

By predicting the drug response of an individual, it will also be possible to increase the success of therapies and decrease the incidence of adverse side effects.

Currently, four groups of patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases, cancers, metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, and mental health disorders account for 80 percent of the country's budget.

Pharmacogenetics can be a proper, cheap, and highly effective treatment for these patients.

It should be noted that pharmaceutical companies and laboratories play an important role in the expansion of science.