An important extension of using endophenotypes, such as subjective responses to alcohol, as pharmacological treatment targets is that information regarding underlying neurobiology and genetics can then be integrated in efforts towards optimizing treatment. Pharmacogenetics represents one important approach towards optimizing treatments for alcoholism on the basis of genetic variance. Specifically, pharmacogenetics is a field of research that seeks to understand individual differences in the metabolism and efficacy of drugs by identifying genetic factors that account for variability in pharmacotherapy effects, both in terms of pharmacodynamics and treatment efficacy (Evans & Johnson, 2001). The field of pharmacogenetics has grown rapidly and has greatly benefited from advancements in molecular genetic tools for identifying gene polymorphisms, developments in bioinformatics and functional genomics, and new findings from the human genome project (Evans & Johnson, 2001). The foremost goal of this line of research is to optimize drug therapy by identifying genetic factors that predict who is more likely to respond to certain pharmacotherapies and who will not respond, therefore matching patients to medications on the basis of genetic factors.
