Making drug discovery a SN(i)P

The pharmaceutical world is coming to terms with the fact the fact that genetic variation is the key to identifying the biological basis behind both susceptibility to disease-and the response to drugs. Genetic variation within drug targets is common and we can safely predict that genetic factors influence almost every human disease. Thus, the study of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is crucial for characterizing molecular targets and can also validate the role of these targets in disease. This article reviews the progress to-date and outlines some of the key areas in which SNPs will impact on the drug discovery process.