Pharmacogenomics and the (ir)relevance of race

Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Race,Footnote 1 as opposed to ethnicity, is a predictor of questionable value for differences in susceptibility to, and pathogenesis of,

disease susceptibility. As social constructs, however, both race and ethnicity are powerful organizing forces employed both by those who use differences to stigmatize and those who view

differences as a source of pride, community, and shared history. Even as society acknowledges that humans are more alike than different, efforts to eliminate race in medical research are met

with as much suspicion as those attempts to employ race in research design. In some instances, the opposition to abandon racial categories has come from those groups who have historically

suffered poor treatment or stigma based on race. History has bred distrust among historically disfavored population groups of the possible agendas of those who would now abandon racial

categories as a marker or measuring stick for any purpose. For purposes of this discussion, the term ‘race’ is defined as ‘a distinct ethnic group characterized by traits that are

transmitted through their offspring’. An ethnic group is ‘a social group or category of the population that, in a larger society, is set apart and bound together by common ties of race,

language, nationality or culture’. Census, Race and Science. _Nat Genet_ 2000; 24: 97–98. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through

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Read our FAQs * Contact customer support NOTES * For purposes of this discussion, the term ‘race’ is defined as ‘a distinct ethnic group characterized by traits that are transmitted through

their offspring’. An ethnic group is ‘a social group or category of the population that, in a larger society, is set apart and bound together by common ties of race, language, nationality or

culture’. Census, Race and Science. _Nat Genet_ 2000; 24: 97–98. * ‡Ultimately, the aim of pharmacogenomics is to enable physicians to tailor drug therapy to the individual based on that

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Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA M A Rothstein * University of Houston Law Center, Houston,

TX, USA P G Epps Authors * M A Rothstein View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * P G Epps View author publications You can also search for this

author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to M A Rothstein. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Rothstein, M.,

Epps, P. Pharmacogenomics and the (ir)relevance of race. _Pharmacogenomics J_ 1, 104–108 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.tpj.6500029 Download citation * Published: 07 September 2001 *

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