ABSTRACT
Functional mapping described in Chapter 6 models drug response separately through pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) equations. This is a reasonable treatment because PK and PD data are generally established in separate, parallel studies to assist in the design of dosage schedules for subsequent evaluation in clinical trials (Toutain and Lees, 2004). An increasing trend is to introduce the concept of PK/PD modeling, an approach in which PK and PD data are generated in the same study and then modeled jointly to better quantifying the relationship between pharmacological effects of the drug and its dose as well as the time after the drug is administrated (Hochhaus and Derendorf, 1995). The PK-PD integration can provide a basis for selecting clinically rational dosage regimens (both dose and dosing interval) for subsequent evaluation in disease models and clinical trials. Functional mapping as an approach for studying dynamic genetic control has power to integrate these two pharmacological aspects as a whole through a genetic network.
