Nutrigenomics and pharmacogenomics: a scientific wonderland

As scientists engaged in understanding the potential of drug/nutrient responses as a function of our genome and all of its ramifications including academic and commercial aspects, our future looks bright. While, however, being cautious about our future especially in terms of regulatory issues, gene-nutrition interactions especially related to genome-based response will indeed be the next cornerstone of solid scientific approaches to assist individuals in choosing dietary supplements, functional foods, and even nutritional beverages on an individualized basis. Nutrigenomics is the key to what we have termed "nutritional gene therapy" and from its origin will spring gene mapping as the wave of the future in nutrition. The information provided in this article will serve as evidence of our conviction of this scientific wonderland of opportunity (see Daniel, 2002).