DNA microarrays--perspective of application for drug effectivity and safety evaluation

Microarray technology provides a unique tool for the determination of gene expression at the level of messenger RNA (mRNA). Microarray has been successfully applied to the high throughput simultaneous expression of many thousands of genes in a single experiment. One important application of DNA microarray technology, within the context of drugs effectiveness and safety evaluation studies, is its use as a screening tool for the identification of biochemical pathways, potential targets for novel molecular therapeutics, for the identification of molecular mechanisms of toxicity and to understand and predict individual drug sensitivity and resistance. The purpose of this review is presentation of the utility of DNA microarray technology in all phases of the drug discovery process.