News: Personalised medicine customises cancer treatment based on genes, but tests can be unclear. Functional genomics helps understand genes better and guide treatment. It is slowly spreading in Africa despite high costs and limited resources.
About Functional Genomics
- Functional genomics is the study of the physiological and biochemical effects of gene functions and interactions, emphasising how genes impact metabolite levels, which are more directly linked to the phenotype than DNA, RNA, or proteins.
- It focuses on understanding how individual components of a biological system interact to produce specific phenotypes.
Note: Phenotype refers to an individual’s observable traits, such as height, eye color and blood type. A person’s phenotype is determined by both their genomic makeup (genotype) and environmental factors. - Scope: Unlike classical genetics, functional genomics often analyzes multiple genes or genomic regions simultaneously (“genome-wide” approach).
- Aim: To narrow down targets for detailed analysis and identify candidate genes or regions relevant to specific traits or diseases.
- Focus Areas: To examine the dynamic expression and function of gene products in specific contexts, such as developmental stages, tissues, or disease conditions.
- Levels of Analysis: Functional genomics can be studied at multiple molecular levels:
- DNA level: Genomics and epigenomics – study of the genome sequence and regulatory modifications.
- RNA level: Transcriptomics – study of gene expression patterns.
- Protein level: Proteomics – study of proteins and their functions.
- Metabolite level: Metabolomics – study of metabolites and metabolic pathways.
- By combining transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data, researchers aim to build a comprehensive model of the biological system.
- Integrated data helps reveal how genes, proteins, and metabolites work together to generate specific phenotypes.
- Use:
- To use current knowledge of gene function to create predictive models connecting genotype to phenotype.
- It provides insights for understanding normal biology, disease mechanisms, and potential therapeutic targets.
