Transcriptomic analysis in the era of personalised medicine

Medical Review (Med. pregled), 2024, 60(5), 5-15.

Y. Yordanov

Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacotherapy and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University – Sofia

Abstract.Despite conventional pharmacotherapeutic approaches taking into account the most evident phenotypic and clinical characteristics of the patient, the outcome in many cases remains variable and difficult to predict in terms of the efficacy and safety of the therapy. Personalized medicine approaches aim to optimize therapeutic decisions based on the patient’s individual characteristics. Transcriptomics plays a key role in understanding the genome functioning within the context of pathogenetic mechanisms in real-time. It allows for the precise stratification of patients in terms of personalized pharmacotherapeutic approaches. This review article examines the role of transcriptomic analyses as tools that inform decisions pertaining to prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. It presents an overview of various methods for RNA sequencing, data analysis, and their applications. The challenges that hinder the integration of transcriptomic analyses into clinical practice are scrutinized.

Key words: sequencing, nucleic acids, personalized therapy, transcriptomics, RNA-Seq

Address for correspondence: Yordan Yordanov, e-mail: yyordanov@pharmfac.mu-sofia.bg, orcid: 0000-0003-1029-9870